Although most people believe the highlight of the Sandy Spring Friends School academic year 2004/2005 has been the building process of our new middle school, new athletic center, new performing arts center, modifications of current buildings for the fifth grade to move back to the lower school, and the expansion of the dining room, the School's primary objective this year, as it is each year, has been to be true to our mission as a Quaker school where we try to inspire our students to "let their lives speak." From the School's perspective some of our "real" highlights are as follows:

• Improvements to the International Student Program
• Increased opportunities for American students and families to interact with international students
• The Clerk of the Board of Trustees and his wife visiting Korea resulting in the creation of the Korean Parents Association
• Larger contingent of international students
• The addition of a co-director of the International Student Program
• Expanded Community Service Opportunities
• The Parents Association has fed over 750 people at Shepherd's Table through their Caring with Casseroles project
• Meals have been provided to Sandy Spring Friends School community members in times of need through the Food for Friends program
• The Alternative Gift Market at Winterfest raised over $3,000 to help support international, national, and local causes
• Lower and middle school students participated in bagging lunches for St. Gerome's Shelter in Hyattsville, making fleece blankets for Project Linus, and decorating pots and planting flowers for Friends House
• Sponsoring a holiday toy drive, a warm clothing drive, a non-perishable food drive, and a book drive
• The ink recycling program

Learning Differences:

• The Parents Association has established a committee to provide information to and act as a support network for parents
• The School now has learning specialists in each division, along with a counselor in each division, and a part-time counselor in the boarding program.
• Additional library books have been added to the collection of books on learning differences

Environment:

• Decision to build the new facilities all within the current 14-acre part of the campus so that most of the property will be left in its natural environment
• The moving of some trees rather than their removal
• Certain trees that had to be removed have been milled on the campus and will be used as a part of the current and future projects
• Plans for the construction of a new "Earth House," which will become a faculty residence. By adding five-percent cement to the soil and sand from the site upon which the house will be built, this Earth House will become the "greenest" building in Maryland.
• The design team of our new facilities included the expertise of an arborist
• Bio-swales were incorporated in the storm water management plan to manage storm water runoff
• Mechanical systems were designed for high energy efficiency, including recovery systems that are being used again
• The use of Hardiplank on the exterior of the buildings, which is a long-lasting composite cement product that requires less maintenance and less use of natural resources than other wood-based products
• Rubber flooring used throughout the new buildings in lieu of vinyl composite tile (VCT is toxic in its production, maintenance, and disposal) and the rubber flooring has a longer life cycle than VCT and is a renewable resource
• All roofs are metal and are non-heat absorbent, resulting in a reduction in energy consumption
• All mechanical units and lighting are energy efficient
• Low volatile organic compound rated paint used in all buildings
• The base for the new road is reclaimed concrete
• A new maintenance position was created that called for 25 percent of this person's time to be spent on composting the waste from all meals on campus
• Buses are being converted to using biodiesel fuel.

In addition to the above, the year had its usual times that reflect the gamut of the human experience. The sounds that permeate the campus are primarily sounds of laughter and joy as students are engaged in learning, both in the classroom and in their socialization process. Enrollment is strong, faculty turnover has been minimal, and in all aspects of our program we have attempted to keep the mission of the School as a basis for all that we do.

Diversity:

• We now have a Diversity Committee in each division of the School, as well as an all-school committee and at the Board of Trustee level. These committees bring speakers to the campus, look at the curriculum, and generally, attempt to be sure all students who come to Sandy Spring Friends School are given equal opportunities to succeed.
• The Lower School has an Internship Program with Gallaudet University which not only brings Gallaudet students to our classrooms, but also enrichs and expands opportunities for our Lower School students.
• Thirty-four percent of our students are non-European American. We have 24 international students representing China, Korea, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and Thailand. Fourteen percent of our students are Quaker.
• Nineteen percent of our student body receives some form of financial aid. This does not include faculty/staff children who receive tuition remission.

Ken Smith, Head Master