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Children arrive at school each morning carrying more than backpacks and lunch boxes. Questions about fairness, observations about their community, and an unfiltered capacity to recognize injustice often surpass adult awareness. At Brooklyn Friends School, these natural instincts become foundations for developing young people who challenge systems and create solutions.

“Children have taught me that they are the greatest creative agents of change, that they speak to the raw realities and truths that are in front of them at any given time,” explains Head of School Crissy Cáceres, who has spent nearly three decades working with students. “Children have taught me about empathy. No adult can come close to a child recognizing when someone is in pain, and that they either need to stand closer to them, invite them to play with them, make space for a conversation.”

Founded in 1867, this Quaker institution serves students from age 2 through 12th grade, operating under a foundational belief that each person possesses inherent worth and capacity for positive impact. Every aspect of education at Brooklyn Friends School reflects this philosophy, from classroom discussions to community service requirements.

Building Responsive Leadership Philosophy

Cáceres describes her leadership approach as responsive rather than prescriptive, focusing on understanding “the heart breath of every human being” she encounters. Throughout the school’s culture, adults position themselves as facilitators rather than directors of student growth—a philosophy that extends beyond administrative decisions into daily classroom interactions.

“I view myself as a way maker, as somebody whose job it is to distill what the challenges at any given moment are, or the needs for someone or some people or a space, and creatively consider, what is it that my agency and my insight and my experience, and frankly also my power and positionality, allows for me to do in service to those needs that are present?” Cáceres explains.

Authentic change-making requires both intellectual preparation and moral foundation. Students engage with complex academic content while participating in weekly Meeting for Worship, a Quaker practice where communities gather in silence and individuals may speak if moved to do so. Both elements work together to develop critical thinking alongside ethical reasoning.

Three Pillars Supporting Student Action

Brooklyn Friends School organizes its changemaker development around three core pillars that guide curricular decisions and school culture. Diversity, Equity, and Belonging forms the first pillar, ensuring students encounter multiple perspectives while learning to advocate for inclusive communities. Global Social Impact creates the second pillar, connecting classroom learning to real-world challenges through student-led projects and community partnerships. Wholeness and Well-being establishes the third pillar, recognizing that effective changemakers must first understand themselves and maintain their capacity for sustained action.

Concrete manifestations of these pillars appear throughout student experiences. Director Kevin Murungi leads the Global Social Impact program, which supports students in designing and implementing projects addressing issues they identify as urgent. Recent student initiatives have tackled food insecurity, anti-hate-speech campaigns, and improving healthcare access for migrants.

Ninth-grade students participate in a special seminar introducing Quaker values, Diversity/Equity/Belonging principles, and Global Social Impact methodologies. During this seminar, students research social issues and undertake group action projects addressing challenges such as gun violence or homelessness. Understanding problems and developing practical responses receive equal emphasis in this curriculum.

Student Voice as Catalyst for Change

Research cited by Brooklyn Friends School demonstrates that students who believe they have voice in school are seven times more likely to be academically motivated than those who feel voiceless. Student perspectives shape institutional decisions and classroom experiences because of this finding and the school’s commitment to meaningful participation.

Circular classroom arrangements reflect this commitment to student voice. Rather than traditional rows facing a teacher’s desk, many classrooms feature circular or amoeba-shaped seating configurations. “You might have to look around to find the teacher,” Cáceres notes. “They’re not at the front of the room, where are they? They might be on the floor. They might be in the hallway connecting with the teacher about something while the children are collaborating on something.”

From School Corridors to Global Impact

Changemaker philosophy at Brooklyn Friends School extends beyond theoretical discussions into practical application through mandatory community service and real-world problem-solving. All high school students engage in community service activities, with many exceeding requirements through sustained partnerships with local organizations. Mentorship and seed funding for student-led social impact projects enable young people to test their ideas with institutional support.

Service learning begins early in the educational sequence. Sixth graders participate in a Service Learning Seminar partnering with local organizations, with past projects involving work with English-language learners and food pantry support. Students learn to work with communities rather than for them through these experiences, embodying Quaker ideals of equality and mutual respect.

Alumni demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach across multiple fields. Notable graduates include U.S. House Delegate Stacey Plaskett, novelist Francine Prose, and Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch, reflecting diverse paths of engagement with social and cultural issues.

Cáceres frames the school’s mission within broader societal needs, recognizing that today’s students will inherit complex global challenges requiring both analytical skills and moral courage. “Our value proposition is that it makes me wish that we had as many children as could be in here as possible, because every time they go out in the world, we have just affected the social impact quotient exponentially just by every single child that comes from this school community.”