Message from Paul B. Perkinson, Head of School
Read Bloggerhead, Paul's writings and reflections in his blog site.
Welcome to the Tandem Friends School website. We hope that as you move through the site it will provide you with insights into the life of Tandem Friends. It is important to note that the site offers you only a glimpse of life at Tandem. This wonderful website is not a substitute for a visit to our grounds. We invite you to visit us and experience the joy and challenge of a Tandem education firsthand.
This August, Tandem Friends School opens its doors for the 40th year with the same vitality and purpose it has had since its founding. Our community has a remarkable tradition of educating young learners to become powerful and purposeful adults.
As a Quaker school, Tandem Friends will always see "that of God" in each child. Consequently, each child at Tandem Friends is honored and respected as they grow into adulthood. Providing an exemplary academic experience in a spiritual community based on Quaker values is an uplifting and sustaining mission that binds us together in a shared vision. We strive to inspire young people to stretch their minds and open their hearts so that they may commit to moving out into the world with courage, compassion, respect, confidence and love. Everything we do as a school puts us closer to achieving these ideals.
My wife Kip and I have been very happy to be part of the Tandem Friend's community. We have three children - Gabriel (TFS Class of 2006), Jacob (TFS Class of 2007), and Emma (TFS Class of 2010). It is with enthusiasm that the school looks forward to selecting Tandem's next Head of School, as, having had the honor to serve as Head of School for what will be eleven years, I will leave June 2011. The search committee has been hard at work all summer in a national search. I do not doubt that Tandem will have a dynamic pool of candidates from which to draw. As I look to the new academic year at Tandem Friends, and as I reflect on all I have learned from the previous year, I feel a strong sense of gratitude for the school founders, past teachers, alumni, faculty, parents, staff members, friends of Tandem, and administrators who have helped the school become the flourishing community it is today. I am reminded of the Vietnamese proverb, "When eating fruit, think of the person who planted the tree."
With humility, hope, gratitude, faith and confidence, I anticipate a rich, meaningful, and productive year.
We hope you will use this website often.
Paul B. Perkinson
Head of School
Tandem Friends School
