Our Mission

Guided by Quaker values, New Garden Friends School is committed to being an inclusive educational community that honors and develops each person's gifts.

A Diverse Community

New Garden Friends School seeks to be a part of a greater community that embraces diversity in all of its dimensions. Our belief in the power and promise of diversity encompasses people of different religious beliefs, economic and cultural backgrounds, races, nationalities, sexual orientations, genders, gender identities, gender expressions, physical and mental abilities, and ages.

School History

There are rare individuals who can bring their hearts and minds together to create a vision capable of shaping generations. Rarer still are those who can inspire an entire community to help bring that vision to life. More than fifty years ago, Jim Newlin and Bruce Stewart were two such people. They believed that Greensboro’s children deserved the gifts of a Quaker education—one rooted in respect, reflection, and the belief that every person carries an inner Light. They imagined a school where students from many backgrounds could learn side by side in a safe, nurturing environment, and where doing so would help confront bias, bigotry, and racism in the community.

With the generosity of Coral Judd and Persimmon Grove AME Church, New Garden Friends School opened its doors in 1971 with 60 students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Under the early leadership of Bob Welsh, the school held tightly to its Quaker foundation and its commitment to honoring the Light in each child and adult.

During its early years, the school was rooted in mission, even as it moved from place to place, finding temporary homes at Greensboro College, the Boys’ Club, Temple Emanuel, and Guilford College. In 1987, NGFS announced the addition of A Child’s Garden preschool.

In 1991, Co-Heads Marty Goldstein and David Tomlin presented the Board with a ten-year vision for growth, including plans for permanent buildings on Guilford College land. With extraordinary support from the Bryan Family Foundation, Helen and Clarence Parker, and Betsy and John Young, NGFS celebrated the dedication of its first permanent buildings in 1993. In the late 1990s, the Board of Trustees developed a strategic plan for future growth and crafted a mission statement that offered clarity and direction for the school’s next chapter. Over the years, as NGFS continued to grow and deepen its understanding of community needs, that mission was gently refined. The school’s current mission—Guided by Quaker values, New Garden Friends School is committed to being an inclusive educational community that honors and develops each person's gifts—continues to reflect the heart of that original vision.

As the new millennium began, the school embraced an even broader vision: creating a complete Quaker educational journey from preschool through high school. The Upper School opened in 2005, followed by an ambitious campaign to construct a LEED-certified Arts and Athletics Center and expand the Upper School campus by 13 acres.

After many years of dedicated leadership, Marty Goldstein retired, and in 2013, after 22 years of service, David Tomlin also stepped down. For the first time in more than two decades, NGFS would welcome new leadership. Following a broad community search, Dr. Ari Betof joined the school in July 2013.

In 2016, another community-driven search brought a familiar face into school leadership: Kim Freedman, former Director of Admissions and Enrollment, and longtime NGFS parent. Kim became Head of School in December 2016 and guided NGFS through years of growth, connection, and the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic. In December 2024, she announced her plans to retire in June 2025.

To honor this transition thoughtfully, the Board of Trustees chose to conduct a comprehensive and inclusive search for the next Head of School. They invited Craig Sellers—an experienced independent school leader with deep roots in Quaker education—to serve as Interim Head during the 2025–26 school year.

In October 2025, after a national search supported by Carney, Sandoe & Associates and shaped by input from trustees, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and students, the Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Michelle Klosterman as the next Head of School, beginning July 1, 2026. As the Board shared, “The recommendation of the Search Committee and the unanimous approval of the Board of Trustees reflect the school’s confidence in Michelle’s ability to guide NGFS into its next chapter with clarity, compassion, and vision.”

For more than fifty years, the community our founders imagined has remained grounded in the Quaker values that first brought it to life which continues today.