Upper School teacher Lisa Turner finds revelations in community garden tending.
Living Our Mission
Educating students to live lives that make a differenceExisting programs, and new initiatives inspired by the school's Strategic Vision, connect in important and tangible ways to Penn Charter's mission:
Quaker principles and practice continue to guide William Penn Charter School, a Friends school founded in 1689. Within a school community that honors difference, we seek that of God in each person. We value scholarship and inquiry. With excellence as our standard, we challenge students in a vigorous program of academics, arts and athletics. Through global connections, civic engagement and a focus on environmental sustainability, we inspire students to be thinkers, collaborators, innovators and leaders. We educate students to live lives that make a difference.
Read More About Our Mission
Upper School students partnered with Lower School students to develop outdoor learning experiences for the playground.
John Somers OPC ’78 welcomed Penn Charter students to Bailey Green, the Buffalo, N.Y., neighborhood surrounding the headquarters of Harmac Medical Products, his international medical equipment manufacturer. Somers toured students to show how Harmac has sparked a neighborhood transformation with affordable housing, job opportunities, healthy food options, green space and more.
The Student Learning Center provides opportunities for teaching and learning in a non-academic, student-led setting.
Twelve Penn Charter fourth graders spent a week last May constructing a hyper-absorbent garden to manage rainfall in a puddle-prone corner of campus.
Girls on the Run is a national program that encourages girls empowerment by teaching life skills and running. Penn Charter has hosted a chapter of Girls on the Run since 2016, filled to capacity each season.
Penn Charter hosts a basketball tournament to benefit Enable Sports and Fitness, a nonprofit established by Laurie and Robert Rosania OPC ’82 to provide fitness and athletic opportunities for youth and young adults with special needs.