In October 2021, I spent a few days up the road from my home at Church Farm School in Exton. I live in Chester County, but the reason I was there was the Shipley of it all. My classmate, Robb Armstrong ’81 was part of Church Farm’s parents’ weekend, speaking to the boys and parents in his capacity as a truly amazing motivational speaker. He also spent time with the students and painted a mural for them.
This special weekend also honored three amazing women for their contributions to Church Farm School. All three of these ladies are Shipley graduates. They received the CFS Medal for their service and dedication to the school. The ladies were Stacey Shreiner Kley ’74 (granddaughter of Church Farm School founder, the Reverend Dr. Charles W. Shreiner), Caroline "Cackie" Buck Rogers ’73 (whose family made the school’s glorious new Center for the Arts possible), and Cannie Crysler Shafer ’74 (one the first female board members at Church Farm School).
For me, these few days were also very special because I got the opportunity to spend time with Robb and his wife, Crystal, as they were literally right up the road from me here in Chester County instead of across the country in California. Watching Robb speak and create his mural are two things I will never forget.
Like Shipley, Church Farm School’s vibe is warm, welcoming, enveloping, and positive. There is a deep and ongoing relationship between Shipley and Church Farm School. For example, my friend Jennifer Murphy Devine ’98 is Assistant Director of Development after having worked in Shipley’s Development Office for 9+ years in a variety of roles, and Barbara Clothier ’51, who has been like a surrogate mother to Robb, is a member of Church Farm School’s Board of Managers. Shipley alumnus Karl Deakins ’15 is a history and humanities teacher, as well as Cottage Faculty at Church Farm School.
In addition, Greg Coleman, Shipley’s longtime Director of Admissions and French Teacher, served on Church Farm School’s Board of Directors for 12 years and is now an Honorary Director. Margaret van Steenwyk is Church Farm School’s Assistant Head of School, after working at Shipley for 25+ years as Dean of Academic Life and then as Head of Upper School. Chet Blair is Director of Student Life after having worked at Shipley for 8+ years as Co-Director of Community Engagement.
It was a wonderful few days, and in many ways like a mini-Shipley reunion, which after COVID-19 was just so nice!
Robb Armstrong '81 is best known as the author of Jump Start, a nationally syndicated cartoon. He is also a motivational speaker.
Armstrong created a mural based on the Jump Start comic for the Church Farm School's student life center.
Stacey Shreiner Kley ’74, Caroline “Cackie” Buck Rogers ’73, and Cannie Crysler Shafer ’74 received Church Farm School’s CFS Medal, which honors service and dedication to Church Farm School and education.
I have often described Shipley as a school that is both incredibly accomplished and that possesses great potential. It’s reasonable to ask, how can a school be both rooted in its mission and values and committed to change? The simple answer is that Shipley has always been driven to do what is best for its students and to prepare them for the world...
In October 2021, Brianna Ross ’10 was named the 2021-22 Maryland Teacher of the Year. Ross feels the award sends an important message to the students of color who she teaches. In addition to serving as a living example of excellence in her students' lives, she is increasing representation in her district's history curriculum through some of her work as an equity liaison. Learn more about the positive impact Brianna Ross '10 is making.
After 77 years as an all-girls’ school, Shipley’s Board of Trustees approved coeducation in 1971—a watershed moment in the School’s history. In this collection of articles, we examine the origins of the decision, share reflections of the people who shaped and experienced the transition, and explore coeducation today.
The Middle School science program emphasizes experiential learning—from animals in the classroom, to outdoor observations—inspiring students to take meaningful action beyond the classroom. Learn more about how teachers use hands-on activities to help students learn and inspire them.
Shipley’s youngest students partner in sustainability through hands-on science lessons in the natural environment, including Shipley's decade-long partnership with the Lower Merion Conservancy, in which fifth grade students collect and analyze water samples of the local Mill Creek. Learn more about how learning comes to life in Lower School science.
Shipley’s move to coeducation was a difficult transition on a number of fronts—from attracting boys to a formerly all-girls’ school to convincing faculty and alumnae that it was in the School’s best interest. Here are reflections from some of the people who shaped and lived through the early days of coeducation at Shipley.
Before joining Shipley as the Head of Middle School in 2013, Shane Kinsella spent the first 15 years of his career teaching in a single-sex school. "Having taught in both single-sex and coed environments, there is no one modality of learning that works best for a single gender," he says. Dr. Kinsella sees many benefits to learning and teaching in a school that is inclusive of all genders. Read his reflection to learn more.
Shipley boys' soccer coach and PE teacher Thom Schauerman has led the Gators to 10 Friends Schools League Championship victories during his time at the School. Learn more about Coach Schauerman and his coaching philosophy in this Q&A.
Shipley's Philly Math League team, made up of ten Upper School students, completed their season with a 6-3 record and finished second in the League standings. "This is a highly motivated group of students who embraces challenge and cooperation,” commented team coach Dr. Joachim Rebholz. Learn more about the team's impressive performance.
As Founder and Director of CREDO, the Center for Research on Education Outcomes, Margaret “Macke” Raymond ’72 is on a mission to improve the evidence around which education policies and programs produce the best outcomes for K-12 public school students. Raymond says her experiences at Shipley played a formative role in her career, which she has spent trying to emulate the strengths of Shipley's educational model.
For Dave Samson '95, seeing his mother’s love for learning was a huge factor in setting him on the path to a career in education—as was the influence of many of his teachers at Shipley. As Head of Upper School at Brookwood School in Massachusetts, Samson places great emphasis on restorative practices that encourage growth and building community over punitive discipline.
Caleb Balderston ‘06 joined Teach for America, teaching math in Chicago public charter schools. Working mainly with low-income students of color, it was there that Balderston developed his passion for equity in education. As high school principal at Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School in Massachusetts he is explicit in his focus on identity work and global citizenship, in addition to academic mastery.
Shipley’s mission compels us to inspire in students a compassionate participation in the world. We asked a few Shipley alumni who work in education how else schools can make a positive impact in the world. Read their responses in this Q&A.
In April 2022, artist Peter Makela ’04 will travel to Nepal as a Fulbright Scholar. He’ll spend 10 months in the Kathmandu Valley pursuing his project, “The Radiant Emptiness of Space: Madhyamaka and Contemplative Perception,” while studying Madhyamaka philosophy at Rangjung Yeshe University, the world’s preeminent English-speaking Buddhist university. Learn more about Makela and his work.
In the fall of 2021, Ashleigh Gundy ’18 was named the inaugural winner of the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Tina Sloan Green Award, which recognizes teams or individuals working to promote equity and inclusion.
In October 2021, Shipley alumna Carla Zambelli Mudry '81 had the pleasure of attending Church Farm School's parents' weekend festivities, which included a presentation by her friend, classmate, and nationally syndicated cartoonist Robb Armstrong '81, as well as the presentation of the school's CFS medal to three Shipley alumnae, Stacey Shreiner Kley ’74, Caroline “Cackie” Buck Rogers ’73, and Cannie Crysler Shafer ’74.
The Pre-Kindergarten’s “From Seed to Plant” interdisciplinary spring project centered around the questions, “How Do We Take Care of Nature?” and “How Does Nature Take Care of Us?” Ecology lessons in the classroom were complemented with hands-on learning and gardening experiences in the Lower School’s courtyard and newly-installed vegetable beds.
Vision 20/26 compelled Shipley to “Cultivate a diverse and inclusive community” as a means of “increasing our ability to work across differences in our school, in our communities, and in the world.” Five years later, Shipley has taken great strides with its DEI efforts. Are we doing enough? Too much? How can we work together as a community to advance this important work? Our panel explores these questions and more.
Vision 20/26 pushed Shipley to “advance its position as a recognized leader in social, emotional, and ethical development education” as part of its drive for Educational Excellence. Since then, the School has become a pioneer in the field of Positive Education. It is now pushing the boundaries around what it means to educate for flourishing by incorporating DE&I and pedagogy principles into its evolving, science-based framework.
The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.