By Jonah Casel ‘27 (Reporter) If you somehow missed the signs scattered across campus, the numerous Instagram posts, and the general buzz across the student body, Spirit Night occurred on Friday, January 23, 2026. Spirit Night is the biggest event across the winter athletic season at Friends’ Central, and this year it did not disappoint. 5:30 on Friday marked the official start of the festivities, but even up to an hour before then, the home stands were blanketed by white sh

By Mia Martin ‘29 (Reporter) The start of the winter athletic season brings the start of the Upper School winter musical process. This year, auditions for Mamma Mia!  were held from Wednesday, November 19, to Monday, November 24, in which cast members sang, danced, and read lines for the show’s staff. Rehearsals began after the break, preparing for performances on March 5–7. Mamma Mia!  is a jukebox musical, or a musical that forms a plot around existing songs. Mamma Mia!  

By Christopher Samuel ‘26 (Editor-in-Chief) Thirty-two in 2025. Eight in January of 2026. These numbers represent the reported deaths related to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and are the highest in over two decades. Countless more Hispanic people have been detained or deported in the past year. The issue is not solely political or restricted to one area of the United States; the poor living conditions of detainees and the tragic loss of life have made the

By Madi Plesser 26' (Reporter) Humans at FCS was a previous special issue in the FOCUS newspaper, capturing the mini-stories of the faces of our school, of which there are many. These photographs capture some of the personalities within the FCS community and offer small glimpses of the daily lives of those we do not encounter often.  Thank you to all who participated! CJ Keller (teacher) “Why do you do what you do?”   “...Well…Because it started as a hobby then it became som

By Maggie Lipson 26’ (Head of Layout and Design) As a senior, the slow start to the academic year was very college-oriented, meaning that, for the first two days of school, we spent a lot of time in College Counseling class to prepare the applications we would have to submit in the coming months. Before the second day, we did the Senior Sunrise and car decorating, which was super fun and an awesome way to start the year. We also heard a bit of FCS history with Grant Calder a

By Christopher Samuel ‘26 (Editor-in-Chief) It was 6 AM on the crisp, slightly foggy morning of September 4 when the Friends’ Central class of 2026 came with blankets and digital cameras out onto the soccer field. There was some dew on the grass, and it was dark: sunrise was to be at 6:31. As we chatted, snapped photos, and looked to the east, the minutes drifted past until the golden light gradually replaced the darkness, and the sun peeked out over the FCC — the day had be

By Jonah Casel ‘27 (Reporter) Friday Night Lights, also known as Pinkout, is the culmination of all of the excitement of the Fall Season of athletics at Friends’ Central School. 2025 is the third year that this event has existed, and this year it was held on Friday, October 10. Four varsity teams and one JV team played, with times interspersed throughout the evening. In addition to the games going on at all times, clubs set up tables where they could sell food, facepaint, an

By Mia Martin ‘29 (Reporter) Between fall athletics, orientation, and the start of classes, the freshmen had an eventful start to the year. For our opening field trip, all approximately one-hundred of us took a bus on Wednesday, September 3, to Pinemere Camp in the Poconos where we stayed for three days and two nights along with the 18 peer mentors to bond and start the year on a high note.  Our first day at Pinemere Camp oozed with traumas inflicted primarily by being outd

By Lisa Perini ‘26 (Head of Communications) https://s3.amazonaws.com/nightjarprod/content/uploads/sites/243/2025/10/15084433/5fqmZYw3o22VoJpXx9bjQuc7ZPV.jpg Disclaimer: The following article contains some  spoilers for Frankenstein It’s not often that a book being taught in school gets adapted into a movie while you’re reading it. So, when I realized I’d be reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein  around the same time that Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein  would be released, I

By Ash Gomez ‘28 This year, the Friends’ Central School English department is joined by Sarah Nourie, and she is very excited to be a part of our community! Sarah teaches 10th and 12th grades and is also the faculty advisor for the School Service Committee. Sarah became a teacher because she wanted to do work where she would be making a difference. She chose to major in literature and creative writing, with a minor in studio art, at Kenyon college. After graduating, Sarah sp

Phone Ban By Teddy Lohse ‘28 (Reporter) There have been many changes this year at FCS. With more coming, let’s take a look at what is easily the biggest change so far — the cell phone ban. Friends’ Central has been awaiting this ban since the official announcement broke in the spring of last year. The details of the phone ban are as follows: every morning at 8:25, students in 9-11th grade will put their phone in a select pouch in their advisors' rooms. 12th graders are allow