Articles by Julian Brenman

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Chillin’ with Dylan

Interview by Mekkhi Gardner ‘20 Revisions by Julian B-Man ‘20 Questions answered by Dylan Mitchell ‘19 Hello, my name is Mekkhi, and I am here with Dylan Mitchell, a recent graduate of the Middle School here at Friends’ Central. Now in the Upper School, and now serving as the “Adjunct Content  Advisor” for The Phoenix Inquirer, he is here to answer some commonly asked questions eighth graders have about the transition to ninth grade. Here’s what he had to offer: MG: How often do you study [for tests, or in general] in Upper School? DMr: Make sure that you always take notes and study them every night. You also want to find the right kind of study method that suits you, and although it’s different for most people it shouldn’t be too hard to find one that works for you. MG: What should I do if I’m having trouble in Middle…


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Quilt for a Cause

Recently, Middle and Upper School Art teacher and seventh grade advisor Ms. Caroline J. Maw-Deis, along with the the assistance of Service-thru-ART, other students, community members, and faculty, crocheted and knit a quilt–for a cause. FCS woodshop and music-media teacher Diego Luzuriaga has not been feeling his best lately. So, if you put the pieces together, you will figure out the quilt was made for Mr. L.


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From “Spirit Week” to Spirit Weak

  As announced in assembly, via email, and on the bulletin board, three weeks ago was “Spirit Week” at FCS. That Friday, we were invited to wear our pajamas, Tuesday we were encouraged to dress as a character, Wednesday was lumberjack impersonation day, and Thursday was an all-black attire day. We ended Spirit Week on Friday by wearing our schools’ colors: blue, gray and white. However, under the observation of many, lots of folks have turned Spirit Week into “Spirit Weak.”


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Campus Crannies: First Edition

As many of us know, below the right side of the middle school building lies a semi-creepy walk-out basement containing 4 classrooms, a couple of small group instruction rooms, a powder room, the lost and found, as well as spaces for storage and mechanical supplies. However, have you ever wondered what is below the left side addition of the building? Well, if you are thinking “no,” you are not alone, as that thought has never crossed my mind either. But, last Thursday, that all changed. (Dun, dun, dun…)



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MS Music Concert Leaves Crowd Wowed

Last Friday, December 4, many Friends’ Centralites were blown away by the amazing performances from the Middle School Orchestra, Jazz Band, iPad Ensemble, and Chorus in the Meeting Room. While some people came for the cookies and lemonade, even they were raving about the musical talent in our Middle School. The night got off to a great start when the FCS Middle School Orchestra took the stage at Shallcross Hall, performing songs such as the Star Wars main theme and “Born this Way” by Lady Gaga. Violins were in action, cellos were playing along, flutes and trumpets blasted their notes, and drummers were adding cool sound effects to help the Orchestra with their songs. Next, the iPads were out as the iPad Ensemble (it wasn’t really an ensemble, as it consisted of only sixth and seventh graders (Skylar Davis ‘21, Sammy Darling ‘21, Sam Kazak ‘21, Liam Giszter ‘21, Benna…


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At Recent Swim Meet, FCS Brings Defeat

If you were to enter the Annenberg Foundation Pool on Wednesday, December 9, you would have seen swimming, cheering and excitement. That is because our Middle School Swim Team had a meet against Rosemont School of the Holy Child’s team. No surprises here: “The phoenix rises,” meaning our team won! The score was 83-61. Health Teacher/Middle School Swim Coach Mrs. Lisa Mansure is “most proud of everyone giving it their all, and supporting one another in and out of the water.” She also adds, “I really look forward to coming to practice everyday.  It’s a wonderful group of student-athletes to coach and working with Sean and Beth is a highlight of my day!”   Meanwhile, Friends’ Central Aquatics Assistant Head Coach Sean Ford, who also coaches Middle School Swimming, is “looking forward to every swimmer developing as the season continues and showing how much they have learned at the next meet.” Anna Volpp ‘20, is…



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Animal Farm Song Project Wrap-Up

It’s been happening for 15+ years… Generations of students (okay, maybe not generations) have been enjoying it for a while… That’s right, it’s the ever-popular eighth grade Animal Farm song project! Here’s how it works: Eighth grade students are required to read the book Animal Farm over the summer. After a series of comprehension discussions, students break into groups, and write and rehearse parody-type songs that tell the Animal Farm story. Fast-forward 1.5 months when students perform their songs for their Language Arts class. During this first round of performances, peers vote for which group they think did the best job. Those with the most votes go to Round Two, the semi-finals. These students perform in Room 10 and their videos can be seen below. Peers then voted a second time for their favorite group. The Red Hot Piggy People are the winners and performed their song in the Meeting…


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What Does It Mean to Be a Boy?

On November 17, 2015, students and faculty took a break from the morning’s traditional classes to take part in special programing surrounding the issues of gender identity in social situations. Middle School students had the option of going to Program 1  and hearing visiting author Patricia Ottaviano discuss female social dynamics or Program 2 and discuss what it means to be a boy or man by watching the movie The Mask You Live In, a movie about issues of masculinity. I attended Program 2, and there were a few things that resonated with me from the day. Here are four tips for boys to remember: Be yourself. Though it sounds like something out of a Disney movie, sometimes it is important to step back and say to yourself, “Is this really what I want to do?” By this, I mean it is important to not do things just because they…


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