By Sean Scott (Reporter '25)

Please welcome Jerry Kapral, Elizabeth Kriynovich, and Emma Miller to our school community!
Jerry Kapral is our new technical theater director and event support coordinator. His professional background includes a career as both a performing musician and as an audio/visual technician. Jerry grew up in the Olney section of Philadelphia and started playing keyboards professionally when he was 16 years old. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Temple University. He is currently the vocal director and keyboardist for Elite Entertainment, which produces large-scale shows at casinos on the east coast. He began teaching because he enjoys passing on his knowledge of music and technology to young adults. Jerry was formerly the instrumental music teacher and theater technical director at the Agnes Irwin School. He was first hired by FCS as a technician to assist with audio for the Upper School's production of Songs For A New World and the Middle School's productions of High School Musical and Fiddler on the Roof. He was very impressed with FCS’s strong sense of community. After a 5-year hiatus from teaching, he joined the FCS community as the technical director. Many students who have worked with Jerry have been part of the MS or US stage crew. He shared, “All of these students have shown such dedication to producing a quality show. I've enjoyed seeing the excitement in the students after a job well done.” In his free time, Jerry also has fun playing tennis.
Elizabeth Kriynovich is the new Upper School learning specialist. Ms. Kriynovich grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland Ohio. She completed her undergraduate studies at The College of Wooster, which is also in Ohio. She attended graduate school in Vermont, earning her M.A. in English from Middlebury College Bread Loaf School of English. She then moved to the Philadelphia area and began working at another Quaker school, Delaware Valley Friends. She was at Delaware Valley Friends until coming to FCS for the 2022-23 school year. She has always had an admiration for FCS’s culture, academic reputation, and embodiment of Quaker values, and she was excited for the opportunity to join our school community. She shared, “It is such a welcoming and supportive community, and I'm so glad to be a part of it!” This year she has enjoyed learning about what makes FCS unique. She mentioned that our creative weekly assemblies and the Singing Valentines stand out as particular highlights from the year. In her free time, Ms. Kriynovich loves spending time outdoors with her Bernedoodle, Fern. She enjoys going on long walks or hikes, exploring local and regional parks, and spending time near lakes. She also volunteers with groups that focus on environmental stewardship. In addition, she has a longstanding meditation practice and enjoys cooking and gardening.
Emma Miller is one of our new science teachers. Ms. Miller attended Lansdowne Friends for Lower School, and Friends Select for Middle and Upper School. She first attended the University of Chicago before transferring to Haverford College, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology. She graduated in May of 2022, and this is her first professional position out of college! Being a high school science teacher has always been a goal of hers since she was in high school; she was always thinking about how she would teach something if she was at the front of the classroom. Additionally, her science background is more lab/research-based, so she was looking for a job with a bit more fun, joy, and room for play and creativity. When describing her decision to come to FCS she explained, “FCS offered and continues to offer me the flexibility to craft and refine my own curriculum of rigorous and interesting science while being creative and silly, all resting on the foundation of Quaker educational philosophy where creating community and an opportunity for each human to show up exactly as they are is the priority.” Ms. Miller also shared several highlights from the year. She has loved connecting with the student body over the course of the year, and she appreciates how much others benefit from just being authentic and true to themselves. Also, a few of the 9th graders in her Physics I class built and installed a swing in her classroom! Regarding the curriculum, she hopes that students walk away feeling grateful for, and appreciative of, the wonders of the world in which we live and feel empowered to ask questions and be curious, knowing that they can learn - these are the keys to being a scientist. Ms. Miller is also a baker. She watches and bakes along to The Great British Baking Show when she has time. Croissants are her favorite treats to bake!
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