In the fall of 1982 Rachel came to Greene Street Friends in fifth grade from Holy Cross School in Mt Airy. “Mom wanted all of us to attend Friends schools,” she notes. She remembers her mother “wanting us to have good individual attention and alternative learning opportunities.”

From the start, Rachel felt comfortable at Greene Street Friends because of the small class size. “I enjoyed Greene Street,” she states. “The teachers were very attentive and very caring.” Rachel remembers hands-on activities like dissecting animals in science with Charlie Kaesshaefer. Craft projects were also a highlight. “I remember an after-school jewelry class and making cards with stencils with candy canes and a Christmas tree.” In social studies, Rachel studied cuneiform writing by pouring plaster into a toilet paper roll to make a scroll seal. “There was a good balance with the hands-on process incorporated with textbook learning,” Rachel observes.

After GSFS, Rachel went on to Germantown Friends School, another smooth transition. It wasn’t until she began studying fashion at Howard University that her interest in art came into focus. She took a year of foundation courses in drawing, water color, art history, and ceramics. She loved them but was unsure of her direction, so she became an experimental studio major. As she progressed in her major she gravitated toward ceramics and print-making. “Looking back over my life I always did stuff with my hands,” Rachel says. “But I didn’t feel like it was art. I could illustrate fashion – that’s when I started doing hands-on art. I liked working with my hands and being creative.”

It took a while longer before art became her career. After graduating from Howard, Rachel pursued a master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Pennsylvania.

For the past seven years Rachel has been a guild member at the Cheltenham Arts Center, teaching classes and creating her own pieces. The guild helps organize shows for members as well as presentations and workshops by professional potters. “Now I have time to focus on art full time and see where that may lead me,” Rachel says.

One reason that Greene Street Friends remains important to her is that her nephew, Morgan, is enrolled in the seventh grade. “I want to make sure he has a good experience the way I had a good experience,” Rachel explains. “Greene Street was part of my foundational education. Any good education lays the groundwork for how you are and how you navigate the world.”

At Alumni Day in April, Rachel is looking forward to catching up with her classmates. “I remember the last time we got together – it was just a handful of us. Regardless, it was very nice to talk about how things have changed and what everyone’s been doing.” She is also excited about the Alumni and Former Faculty Art Show: “I think that art is something that brings people together. In addition to just going there to see other people it will be an added element –a nice surprise.” And speaking of surprises, Rachel is still deciding which piece she will submit!