As the school begins its 64th year, Sandy Spring Friends School has announced the appointment of Dr. Sean Hamer as its new head of school. After first declaring its closure, the Friends of Sandy Spring alliance pledged $15 million, and in April, Sandy Spring Friends academic said it will stay open through the 2027–2028 academic year.
According to Sandy Springs Friends School, Dr. Sean Hamer officially begins his stint as the head of the Preschool Grade 12 Quaker school at Sandy Spring Friends School (SSFS) today. With a bold vision, extensive educational experience, and a shared dedication to the School’s Quaker mission and progressive values, Dr. Hamer assumes leadership of the School as it enters its 64th year, guaranteeing that its transformative education will benefit students for many years to come.
Dr. Hamer has over twenty years of experience leading educational programs in both public and private schools. Dr. Hamer, a lifelong supporter of equity, student-centered learning, and transformative community engagement, leads SSFS’s learning community, which is renowned for its inclusive athletics and visual and performing arts programs, values-based education, academic program that emphasizes inquiry-based, experiential learning, and a strong sense of community based on Quaker principles.
According to Sean Hamer, Sandy Spring Friends School is at an exciting and hopeful time. It is more important than ever for the school to fulfill its objective of fostering students’ skills, expanding their knowledge, and enabling them to effect positive change. It is a privilege for me to guide this remarkable community.
Last spring, when financial difficulties momentarily threatened the School’s ability to continue operating, the alumni, parents, families, faculty, staff, and friends of the SSFS community united with incredible determination to make sure that the School’s purpose and values would persist. SSFS Board Clerk Tom Gibian states, “The School is now committed to a sustainable and thriving future, and the unified support we have seen from the SSFS community strengthens the foundation on which we move forward.”
Growing enrollment, lowering debt, strengthening the endowment, and strengthening the School’s adherence to its mission and core principles are among the institutional initiatives that SSFS will prioritize under Sean’s direction. Additionally, the school will keep advancing its mission and instructional programs, which are defined by:
small class numbers with outstanding teachers who recognize and bring out each student’s best qualities;Educational travel, inclusive sports, and exceptional visual and performing arts programs are examples of transformative experiential learning opportunities; a learning environment rooted in Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship; and a personalized, values-based college preparatory education.
Sandy Spring Friends School is a gender-neutral, independent Quaker day and boarding school in Montgomery County, Maryland, that was established in 1961 and serves students ranging in age from preschool (age 3) to the twelfth grade. Go to www.ssfs.org to learn more about SSFS.
