Spiritual Life

"Friends,” also known as Quakers, are members of the Religious Society of Friends and believe that there is "that of God” in everyone. Out of this central belief comes a commitment to working cooperatively with others, accepting individual differences, making decisions by consensus, and striving to reach peaceful resolution to conflict. At Tandem Friends School, we strive to be inclusive in our approach and welcome community members of all faith backgrounds. In fact, most Friends schools are composed almost entirely of families who are not Quaker.

 

Tandem was not originally founded as a Quaker school, but became a “convinced” Friends School in 1995. Tandem is one of the only non-denominational schools in the United States to formally adopt the philosophy and practices of Quaker education. Tandem School was renamed Tandem Friends School to signal this shift and became a member of the Friends Council on Education.

As a Friends school, we honor the Quaker testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality and Stewardship (SPICES). At Tandem Friends, the SPICES shape all of our daily activities and interactions. 

Wednesday’s Community Time is always reserved for Meeting for Worship. Meeting for Worship is the central organized spiritual activity at Tandem Friends. In many Quaker traditions, there is no religious leader conducting worship. Instead, Quakers sit in silence, listening intentionally to the “Inner Voice” for messages from the divine. Once a week, our school community gathers to sit in shared silence and listen inwardly. Sometimes a "query" for reflection is presented. Sometimes someone is moved to speak or respond to the query. We always go to Meeting with the belief that each member of the community has something valuable to say. For most students, Meeting for Worship does not necessarily feel like a religious practice. Meeting punctuates an otherwise fast-paced academic schedule and provides students a vital opportunity to slow down, be intentional, and reflect calmly.