SSFS Closing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:His comment was made at Dalton in NY. It was a criticism of independent schools as a collective, not about SSFS.

Perhaps, but saying a female summer camp counselor was racially profiling him just because she was doing her job and checking where he was going on campus during Covid certainly was.

False again. He said he had a reaction when she asked him for his identification based on the recent case of George Floyd at that time. He specifically said she was doing her job correctly and he was triggered as a result of what was happening in the country. He never blamed her or called her racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The money that people are pledging is with the understanding it will be given only with transparency, governance change, and a sustainable plan.

I hoping that can be accomplished while also understanding that of course people need to be moving ahead with plans as this is far from a done deal. I have more trouble understanding why some people are discouraging others and concern trolling. Completely understandable to not pledge and be skeptical yourself but other (smart and capable people) are willing to see if something can be salvalged-why attack them?

And who will decide when these conditions have been met? Are there benchmarks that everyone pledging had agreed to?

I, for one, am not attacking anyone. I am pointing out that the virtue of “integrity” includes not creating false hope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was an unarmed 16-year-old girl, not a cop. If he was that "triggered" by something so benign, then he needs counseling, and maybe shouldn't have been in a job in charge of other people's children. (I never met RG but am close with a couple of the veteran teachers. I get the sense he was just not a good fit for the school and did a lot of things that don't sound very Quakerly.)

The school's downslide didn't start with him, but he was clearly the wrong person to right the ship once the cracks did emerge.

So he was wrong to be impacted by the murder of George Floyd? Or he should’ve reacted to that in a way that you decide is appropriate?

Why a girl asking a simple question should connect make him see George Floyd is the problem. He saw the boogeyman everywhere. but then again that how he made money.

[Anonymous]

Who is mocking? We're just pointing out that his communication style and priorities maybe weren't super aligned with SSFS'. I guess all those dozens of families and teachers who left were just racist and didn't want to put in the work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was an unarmed 16-year-old girl, not a cop. If he was that "triggered" by something so benign, then he needs counseling, and maybe shouldn't have been in a job in charge of other people's children. (I never met RG but am close with a couple of the veteran teachers. I get the sense he was just not a good fit for the school and did a lot of things that don't sound very Quakerly.)

The school's downslide didn't start with him, but he was clearly the wrong person to right the ship once the cracks did emerge.

So he was wrong to be impacted by the murder of George Floyd? Or he should’ve reacted to that in a way that you decide is appropriate?

Of course not! Do you think the 16 year girl who was doing her assigned job felt welcome and comfortable at school hearing that from the HOS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was an unarmed 16-year-old girl, not a cop. If he was that "triggered" by something so benign, then he needs counseling, and maybe shouldn't have been in a job in charge of other people's children. (I never met RG but am close with a couple of the veteran teachers. I get the sense he was just not a good fit for the school and did a lot of things that don't sound very Quakerly.)

The school's downslide didn't start with him, but he was clearly the wrong person to right the ship once the cracks did emerge.

So he was wrong to be impacted by the murder of George Floyd? Or he should’ve reacted to that in a way that you decide is appropriate?

Of course not! Do you think the 16 year girl who was doing her assigned job felt welcome and comfortable at school hearing that from the HOS?

Do you know that she didn’t?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who is mocking? We're just pointing out that his communication style and priorities maybe weren't super aligned with SSFS'. I guess all those dozens of families and teachers who left were just racist and didn't want to put in the work?

Not all of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was an unarmed 16-year-old girl, not a cop. If he was that "triggered" by something so benign, then he needs counseling, and maybe shouldn't have been in a job in charge of other people's children. (I never met RG but am close with a couple of the veteran teachers. I get the sense he was just not a good fit for the school and did a lot of things that don't sound very Quakerly.)

The school's downslide didn't start with him, but he was clearly the wrong person to right the ship once the cracks did emerge.

So he was wrong to be impacted by the murder of George Floyd? Or he should’ve reacted to that in a way that you decide is appropriate?

Why a girl asking a simple question should connect make him see George Floyd is the problem. He saw the boogeyman everywhere. but then again that how he made money.

You have no idea how you sound, do you?

Is this an example of how SSFS “has no racism”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who is mocking? We're just pointing out that his communication style and priorities maybe weren't super aligned with SSFS'. I guess all those dozens of families and teachers who left were just racist and didn't want to put in the work?

You recognize this is the sign of a cult, yes? Evaluating people on some nebulous idea of what the Pinnacle is… “Quakerly” someone called it.

It’s like when Evangelicals use “Godly” to include or excuse someone.

Who decides? Labels and judgment don’t align with Quaker values either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly happened with RG? There are a lot of vague posts pointing fingers at him. Is the issue really him, or is it that many white people support diversity only in theory—just as long as it doesn’t challenge their comfort.

It sounds like he walked into a situation that was already fraught and in decline. SSFS is lucky anyone took that on when finances were unstable.

FWIW, I know many people in the independent school DEI world who consider RG to be a grifter. It's not just white people who don't support him. In fact I'd say it's the opposite. White guilt is a helluva drug and RG knows how to play into it. Black folks are less likely to fall for his nonsense.

Lol. This sounds like an overreach.

Overreach how?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former HOS Tom Gibian is currently on the board and has an MBA in finance from Wharton. If anyone might be able to shed light on whether there is hope for the coalition, it might be him.

And he was Chair of the Board before he was HOS. And he ran the search committee, selecting himself as HOS. Maybe he didn't dig the hole, but he sure kept on digging.

Not true. He left the BOT once he became a candidate.

Okay, but he *was* on the BOT, did run the search committee, did end up being the choice for HOS, and then did rejoin the BOT.

[Anonymous]

If the school reopens they need to replace the Board, or at minimum 75% of the Board.

[Anonymous]

BOT e-mail

April 19, 2025

Dear SSFS Community,

The Board of Trustees of Sandy Spring Friends School is grateful for the outpouring of love and commitment to SSFS and welcomes the offers of financial support and leadership. The Board and the Friends of SSFS are collaborating closely with the shared purpose of enabling the school to continue operations.

We are hopeful that a path can be found.

Additional information will be shared when it is appropriate; we are working tirelessly with the Friends of SSFS and other interested supporters and hope to have concrete details very soon.

[Anonymous]

The SSFS Board of Trustees sent out the following message this evening:

The Board of Trustees of Sandy Spring Friends School is grateful for the outpouring of love and commitment to SSFS and welcomes the offers of financial support and leadership. The Board and the Friends of SSFS are collaborating closely with the shared purpose of enabling the school to continue operations.

We are hopeful that a path can be found.

Additional information will be shared when it is appropriate; we are working tirelessly with the Friends of SSFS and other interested supporters and hope to have concrete details very soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly happened with RG? There are a lot of vague posts pointing fingers at him. Is the issue really him, or is it that many white people support diversity only in theory—just as long as it doesn’t challenge their comfort.

It sounds like he walked into a situation that was already fraught and in decline. SSFS is lucky anyone took that on when finances were unstable.

FWIW, I know many people in the independent school DEI world who consider RG to be a grifter. It's not just white people who don't support him. In fact I'd say it's the opposite. White guilt is a helluva drug and RG knows how to play into it. Black folks are less likely to fall for his nonsense.[/

Lol. This sounds like an overreach.

That doesn’t sound like an overreach at all.