Welcome to the Ulmer Family Light Lab at Friends' Central School blog.
As I begin to document this journey, I think it is only right to start with The Light Lab naming and its significance.
Being new to a Quaker school, I am learning just how much careful reflection goes into a decision like this. I have truly loved the conversations I've since shared with community members about the Light and its role in our lives as well as how it will influence our students' everyday use of The Light Lab.
Quakers believe in something referred to commonly as the "Inner Light" or simply "The Light."
I heard it referenced in numerous ways, most impactfully in an internal email informing community members about a death in the family of one of our faculty members. The email gave service details and then asked that we hold this family in the Light. Although I had some idea of what this probably meant, I was curious to learn more.
My next learning experience came during FCS' new employee orientation when Robyn Richmond shared the basics of Quakerism with the fresh crop of faculty and staff. I was struck by the purposeful simplicity of Quaker worship - based on the belief that everyone has equal access to this Inner Light and the capability of sharing wisdom with others.
So what does this mean for The Light Lab?
Simply put, our littlest community members possess wisdom which we will encourage them to share through projects they feel connected to emotionally and empowered to lead. The Light is present in each of our students, enabling them to be agents of change. The Light Lab will be a space in which FCS students explore real problems and create new solutions while moving toward fulfillment of our mission and vision.
Beyond being a beautifully simple name for our new makerspace, The Light Lab's moniker is deeply meaningful and reflective of the work our students will do in these new studios.
We invite you to watch and see.
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