What We Do

Our Campus

Our Building

FCS is proud of its commitment to environmental stewardship, a Quaker value expressed in the architecture of our LEED-certified (Silver) building, which includes:

straw-bale insulation,
radiant floor tube heating,
a living green roof,
bio-retention ponds,
natural ventilation,
solar tubes and low-energy lighting,
waterless water-conserving fixtures,
and recycled and recyclable pressed-board woodwork.

Ask FCS students about our green building—they love to tell the story!

Our Site

FCS is situated on 17 acres of wetlands and woodlands adjacent to Greenbelt National Park. It’s not unusual for students to look up from their books and see birds, deer, and other wildlife exploring their natural habitat. Environmental stewardship is cultivated through FCS’s outdoor learning projects, which include:

classroom vegetable gardens,
a rain garden,
bio-retention ponds,
a butterfly garden,
an outdoor classroom and meeting space,
and a “Peace Garden” of native plants.

When it was built in 2007, FCS was the largest straw-bale insulated building in the world and earned a LEED-Silver status.
A gift from the class of 1999, the FCS Bell in the Peace Garden is made from a recycled dive tank. It is used to call students in from recess.
Students enjoy explaining the green features of our building--including the simple, effective use of natural daylight.

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FCS Kindergarten students study the architecture of our green building.
FCS Kindergarten students study the architecture of our green building.
FCS Kindergarten students study the architecture of our green building.
FCS Kindergarten students study the architecture of our green building.
FCS Kindergarten students study the architecture of our green building.
FCS Kindergarten students study the architecture of our green building.
FCS Kindergarten students study the architecture of our green building.
FCS Kindergarten students study the architecture of our green building.
FCS Kindergarten students study the architecture of our green building.
FCS Kindergarten students study the architecture of our green building.

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Located in College Park, MD, Friends Community School is a progressive Quaker K-8 day school, founded on the belief that every child is a valued member of our community. We offer a challenging curriculum imbued with strong values of equality, integrity, community, environmental stewardship, simplicity and peaceful conflict resolution, rooted in our Quaker heritage.

Friends Community School
5901 Westchester Park Drive
College Park, Maryland 20740
301-441-2100