Gnu Stories Podcast

One of the central Quaker values ( “SPICES”) is “stewardship.” Hear from SSFS faculty Linda Garrettson (4th-grade teacher), Steffany Cartellone (6th-grade & MS teacher), and Joe Heathcock (SSFS community farmer), as well as SSFS alum and former faculty member Kip Kelly (owner of Full Cellar Farm), as they discuss how we teach an appreciation for and understanding of the importance of stewardship of the earth, and provide opportunities for students to observe firsthand the natural cycles of growth.

Listen to the latest Gnu Stories podcast featuring Kwame Darko ', David Hickson, Johanna Cowie, and Bob Hoch as they talk with Head of School Rodney Glasgow about the founding of the School, the role of the community over the past 60 years, and our school's connection to the wider Sandy Spring community. (SSFS 60th Anniversary Episode)

In this episode, SSFS Head of School Dr. Rodney Glasgow speaks with SSFS Alumni Michel Ruiz-Fuentes and Frank Sheffield who won the national Call for Kindness competition sponsored by Riley’s Way Foundation in May of 2021.

The competition challenges teens to apply for grants that fund initiatives that strengthen their communities and inspire kindness. They were the only two recipients in the State of Maryland and were part of a small group of 22 inspiring teens across the country who received the award. Listen to the episode to hear Michel and Frank speak about the competition, their work with Mary Center in Washington DC through Candid Community Care, and their plans for the future.

The 2020-21 school year has come to an end and our rising 6th & 9th graders, as well as the graduated class of 2021 will be starting a new chapter in their lives. In this episode, our rising students ask questions to rising 7th & 10th graders, as well as an SSFS alum for guidance.

In this episode of the Gnu Stories Podcast, we learn more about our teachers as they're interviewed by their students. Hear from the teachers about how they got into the education field, their favorite parts about being a teacher, and what it's like to be in the SSFS community.

In this episode, join Rodney as he talks with Middle School faculty member Lindsay Kellogg and our student podcasters, Ben and Zoe about their podcast "Have You Herd," and the MS online newspaper "The Wildebeest Weekly." Then, hear clips from their podcast to get a closer look at our Middle School community.

SSFS Head of School Rodney Glasgow speaks to Nicole Lee, Director of Institutional Equity Justice and Belonging and author of “Raising AntiRacist Kids: The Power of Intentional Conversations About Race and Parenting” about our youngest learners - preschool through 5th grade - through the lens of diversity, inclusion, and belong and how we, as a school and as parents, can raise children who are anti-racist, anti-ableism, and anti-oppression.

In this episode, Rodney speaks with Brenda Crawley, Head of Plymouth Meeting Friends School, and Karen Cumberbatch, Head of Carolina Friends School. Brena and Karen share their experience as members of the SSFS community and reflect on what it means to be a woman of color in a leadership position, decision-making during COVID-19, and what drew them to Quaker Education.

Join Dr. Rodney Glasgow as he takes a deeper dive into self-advocacy with our SSFS Middle and Upper School students. Hear what students have to say about self-advocacy, how they practice it in the classroom, what teachers can do to create a safe space for their students to practice, and how students can psych themselves up to test out this important skill.

What is self-advocacy and why is it important? What do we risk by not teaching this skill? Our Learning Specialists and Upper School Director of College Counseling speak with Dr. Rodney Glasgow about the importance of becoming a self-advocate, its alter ego of learned-helplessness and selfishness, and the role self-advocacy could have played in the insurgency at the U.S. Capitol.