Tandem Friends School

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Tandem Friends School is a coeducational secondary school founded in 1970 in Charlottesville, Virginia by John Howard and Duncan Alling. In 1991, it joined the Friends Council on Education, adopting the educational beliefs of the Quakers. The current head of school is Paul Perkinson. The Upper School, grades 9-12, has approximately 130 students, while the Middle School, grades 5-8, has 110 students. The head of the Upper School is Nura Yingling, and the head of the Middle School is Tom O'Connor. Tandem is located on 279 Tandem Lane. The mascot is a badger.

Tandem is the first Friends School in the U.S. that started as a non-Quaker School. The school is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools and the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and is a member of the Friends Council on Education.^{[citation needed]}

Tandem has many traditions that have been maintained over the years, such as Spring Day, Blue Ridge Day, Wednesday Pancakes, Speakers Series, Meeting for Worship, Emphasis Week, Sophomore Seminars and Senior Projects.

[edit] Athletics

Tandem Friends School fields seventeen sports teams and maintains a no-cut policy. The varsity soccer team advanced to the state finals in the 2006 fall season, and the semifinals in 2007. The athletic director at Tandem is Gordon Fields. The Tandem tennis team was the runner up in both the regular season and Delaney Athletic Conference tournaments, posting the team's best-ever record of 6-3. The Middle School girls basketball team won the conference title this year. The Middle School boys soccer team also won the conference title this year, as well as having a sweep of one of Tandem's rival schools, St. Anne's-Belfield School.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Arts Program

Tandem Friends School has a strong Arts program that encompasses visual arts, drama and music. Drama and art are each taught for one semester each year in the Middle School grades. Each grade puts on a play during the year. Art electives abound in the Upper School, as well as drama classes and a strong after-school drama program that presents a musical in the fall, a one-act play festical in the winter, and a comedy or drama in the spring. 5th and 6th graders take regular music classes and the school has a string ensemble and a jazz band, as well as other music class offerings.