Tandem Friends School News

5th & 6th Grade Scientists Designing and Constructing Boats

1/15/2026

5th grade science students with teacher Nemanja Cetic recently observed and compared the buoyancy of different objects in water and dish soap. Now those students are designing, constructing, and evaluating a model cargo boat to determine its maximum load capacity. Nemanja's 6th grade scientists are constructing sailboats to investigate the concept of unprocessed energy, with the objective being to demonstrate how wind energy can be harnessed to propel a sailboat. Check out some photos of their efforts.

January 12-16, 2026

1/15/2026

The first full week back after winter break can feel long, but we all got through it and accomplished many things. First semester grades and comments were shared online and second semester work is getting well underway. Our Science Olympiad teams had a great competition in Fairfax over the weekend - see details below. We hosted an Admissions Information Session and a virtual college counseling office hour. The enrollment renewal process for current students began yesterday - the deadline for renewal is February 1.

In the Middle School, 5th grade students are learning about buoyancy. 6th graders are learning to evaluate websites for authenticity, and have been reading the script for their spring musical production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr. 7th graders are writing climate change essays. 8th graders are working on their job fair interviews and information, and in history class, are creating WW I trading cards.

In the Upper School, the Drama department held auditions for their spring musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. 9th graders are reading The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama and working on poetry translation. Sophomores are writing their Sophomore Seminar topic proposals and personal narratives. Juniors have been learning about stress management in Advisory this week. Seniors are hard at work on their Senior Projects; Senior Comp students are reading The Kite Runner. Upper School students held an Open Meeting today as their Speaker Series. Tomorrow, Tandem will host a Science Olympiad competition here on campus, followed by a double header against FUMA for our JV and Varsity boys’ teams.

Week #20 - Another Sweep: Varsity Girls and Boys Basketball Extend Their Win Streaks!

1/15/2026

Varsity Girls Basketball - Picking up right where they left off in December, the Girls Varsity Basketball Badgers held their opponent to just one field goal in the entire first half. Their defense was suffocating - whether it was of the full or half court variety. Juli has improved her lateral speed, deflecting the ball away from opposing guards. Ginger leapt into action, diving on the floor and earning another possession for Tandem. The ball would eventually travel into Maya's hands - and her lights out shooting streak continues! Maya has now scored in double digits for three consecutive games, all Tandem victories, and has converted from three point land in all of them. Tonight, Maya had a game-high 12 points, eight rebounds and six steals! Sheesh!

Week #20 - Big Second Half Performances for MS Hoopers on the Road!

1/15/2026

MS Girls Basketball - With 6:00 to go in the contest, the score was tied at 18. Zoey made a beautiful inbounds pass to Sam, who spotted Zuri posting up on the block. Zuri turned, used the backboard, and gave Tandem the lead. On the ensuing possession, Peabody tried to work the ball into the paint. Sam deflected the pass, got the ball and got the ball ahead to Hadley who dribbled to the right wing. Zuri was posting up again. When Zuri got the ball, she turned and faked a shot. With the defender in the air, Zuri stepped through and scored another lay up.

Science Olympiad Excels at Fairfax Invitational

1/13/2026

I wanted to share results from the Fairfax Invitational Science Olympiad tournament, which was completely hosted and run by Fairfax High School in Fairfax, VA. Medals were awarded to 1st-6th place in each event and trophies were awarded to 1st-6th place overall school performance. This was the largest tournament ever attended by TFSSO, with 70 teams representing 27 schools from across Virginia, DC, Maryland, and Pennsylvania participating. Competition was fierce, with almost every school attending the tournament (25/27) earning at least one medal.

I am excited to share that medals were earned in 4 events by TFS Emerald and that TFS Emerald team earned 16th place overall out of the 70 teams. Way cool! Additionally, it was the debut tournament for students on TFS Alabaster and they represented us very well earning top 25 in 4 events! What an accomplishment! Finally, TFS Obsidian showed up with a determined spirit despite a thinner than normal roster (only 2/3 full). Many stepped in to support their teammates as last-minute partners and put in great work. Well done!

Below is the breakdown of top 25 results from the tournament for each TFSSO team, with earned medals indicated in yellow text. Full tournament results can be found here.

TFS Emerald
- Astronomy (Madeline M, Owen S): 22
- Boomilever (Eli C, Sofia S): 11
- Bungee Drop (John B, Oscar D): 3
- Circuit Lab (Hayes B, Oscar D): 21
- Codebusters (John B, Eli C, Nati Y): 12
- Dynamic Planet (John B, Eli C): 11
- Electric Vehicle (Owen S, Peter W): 24
- Entomology (Nina I, Nati Y): 15
- Helicopter (Luna B, Sofia S as a sub): 9
- Hovercraft (Jack J, Lucy L): 6
- Machines (Eli C, Jack J): 3
- Materials Science (Luna B, Sofia S): 15
- Remote Sensing (Hayes B, Peter W): 19
- Robot Tour (John B, Owen S): 1
- Rocks and Minerals (Nina I, Nati Y): 11

TFS Obsidian
- Helicopter (Claire G, Avery M): 12

TFS Alabaster
- Bungee Drop (Eli H, Emory S): 11
- Forensics (Emory B, Annie R): 22
- Machines (Eli H, Peter D as a sub): 21
- Materials Science (Emory B, Annie R): 17

Our teams continue to show that they are ready to compete against top level schools and I am proud and honored to work with them. It is so much fun!

Week #20 - Exciting Double Header: MS Basketball Is Back in the Den!

1/13/2026

MS Girls Basketball

It has been exactly thirty three days since our lengthy post game conversation at CCS. Bruised and battered, Zuri sat in the middle of our circle with ice on her thumb and shoulder, while we reflected on our execution - defensively, on our baseline out of bounds plays, and in our half court offense. The team was frustrated - we had trailed by just one point at the end of the first quarter, despite the fact that both Sam and Hadley were saddled with foul trouble. The deficit was only four points at halftime, and over the course of the game our team scored what was, at the time, our largest offensive output of the season (17 points.) Still, we lost by 7.

In the days since, this squad has put in an enormous amount of work, pushing one another each day in practice. So it was no surprise to me that our full court press looked rather different today. CCS quite literally had no space to operate - Sam stole the ball on their first four possessions. Hattie, just like in practice on Friday, forced the ball to the left side - and the turnovers just kept coming. The Badgers converted those steals into six quick points, forcing a CCS timeout.

6th Graders Create Blackout Poetry

1/9/2026

Sixth grade English students worked on creating blackout poetry this week in class. This "found" poetry style uses a previously written text as a base. The poet then selects certain words on the page to highlight, while redacting others. It is through this process of deconstructing that a new text emerges. Check out some photos of their work.

January 5-9, 2026

1/9/2026

The start of second semester brings lots of new things - new electives, a fresh start in music, new plays to rehearse, and new academic projects and classes galore. Winter athletes are putting their uniforms on again and are ready to get back on the court or on the track. Sophomores begin a deep dive into their Sophomore Seminars. Seniors recommit to Senior Project completion as they inch closer to college decisions and graduation. Third quarter Work Crew began. We enjoyed a Pancake Friday together this morning. Everyone is enjoying this unexpected patch of warmer, sunny weather. Teachers are putting the finishing touches on first semester grades and comments - watch for report cards next week. Second semester - here we come!

Middle Schoolers happily returned to school and their energy has revived the campus. 5th graders are learning about the Haudenosaunee and the geography of the Northeast. In Music class, they are enjoying having an Upper Schooler, Fletcher L, giving them some lessons on tuning and chords. 6th graders are working on a mini unit on blackout poetry (details and photos below). 7th graders are learning about the biological levels of life and about heredity. 8th graders are beginning interviews for their big Job Fair project in English class.

In the Upper School, the Rocketry Club had a bake sale. 9th graders are working on their interdisciplinary Civilization project and are reading The Samurai’s Garden. 10th graders spent today in the UVA libraries to learn about and begin Sophomore Seminar research (details below). AP US History students are studying Reconstruction. Seniors are jumping back into the Senior Projects with grit and determination. Our varsity teams held a home double header with double wins last night to leap back into the season and are at Quantico this afternoon. A large group of Upper School Science Olympiad students boarded a bus this afternoon to head to the competition in Fairfax this weekend. We wish them lots of luck!

Sophomores Learn Research Skills at UVA Library

1/8/2026

This week, Tandem sophomores spent a day at UVA's Shannon Library with faculty Robert Schuster, Casey Reed, Melissa Winder, Russell Combs, Tina Goode and Heidi Passino, all people who will support them throughout their Sophomore Seminar research and writing process. Currently, students have completed Sophomore Seminar topic brainstorming and preliminary research and have received preliminary feedback on their Pre-Outlines. This week, they did some additional structuring of their Pre-Outlines, and then took a deep dive into academic research via their all-day visit to the UVA library! Students enjoyed a lecture and interactive session run by UVA Research Librarians. They got a tour of Clemons Library before being given time to conduct some of their research. They enjoyed lunch on The Corner. Students worked really hard all day and were excited about giving their topics due diligence! For the next three months, they will each dive into deep learning about their chosen topics, developing their skills as researchers, writers, and presenters. By semester's end, they will have completed a full research paper, made a presentation on their topic to their classmates, and shared their work with the community during the Sophomore Seminar Capstone night scheduled for April 29. Check out some photos!

Week #19 - 6th Grade Boys Win First TFS Basketball Game of 2026!

1/8/2026

6th Grade Boys Basketball - The Badgers are back in the Den, and the 6th Grade Boys took advantage of their opportunity for more playing time. Eli was smooth right off the opening tip, faking a pass to a teammate and driving down the middle. He used this move throughout the game, resulting in two trips to the line, a three pointer, and 11 total points! Will got to the line as well, and was constantly in attack mode! He made both foul shots. The Badgers led 8-7 after the first quarter, and Kai got the scoring going. He used a quick first step, got the defender on his hip, and beat him to the basket. Kai had 6 in the first period, and finished with 12. He worked closely with Gabriel, who had several assists, using an effective give and go.