Service Award: Barbara Rose Caldwell

Assistant School Committee Clerk Barbara Rose Caldwell was presented with the Alumni Association’s Service Award at the Dinner Among Friends in May. She has been an integral part of the MFS community for three decades serving in a wide variety of key roles.

Barbara retired from MFS in 2012, capping off a stellar 19-year career as Associate Head of School and Academic Dean. Earlier, she served as the Upper School Director and prior to that, she was the Chester Reagan Chair for Quaker and Religious Studies. Her contributions strongly underscored the importance of Quakerism at MFS, including helping Upper School students develop the Meeting for Worship for Business form of government, and co-clerking the school’s 2011 Strategic Plan Committee. Barbara also steered the Upper School through its expansion, helping to develop the Mandarin world language program, and increasing the number of AP and honors offerings.

During the past decade in her post-retirement years, Barbara has continued to generously devote her time, energy, and wisdom through her exceptional volunteer leadership, including nine years on the School Committee. After joining the School Committee  in 2014, she succeeded Nick Smith as Clerk in 2017 and served in that role until 2021 and now is the Assistant Clerk. She co-clerked the Search Committee for current Head of School Julia de la Torre with fellow trustee Nick Smith. From 2012 to 2014,  Barbara served as a consultant, helping to clerk the Strategic Plan Oversight Committee and managing the school’s Membership Renewal Process for its accreditation as a Quaker school.

“For nearly 30 years, Barbara’s vision for what Quaker education can be – and her gifts as a teacher leader, senior administrator, School Committee Clerk, trustee, and mentor to many – have been incredibly valuable to the school community, which owes her  a great debt of thanks,” reflected Julia de la Torre in her introductory remarks at the Dinner Among Friends. “She deeply believes in the school’s mission, making Quaker principles visible, and putting those values into action.”

Barbara’s acceptance remarks were consistent with her commitment to Quaker values and education. “I recently read a short talk given by Darryl Ford, the retiring head of William Penn Charter School,” she said. “He emphasized both the spiritual power of Quaker schools and our commitment to social justice as what he called ’our gift to the world.’ These strengths are what make this school and others like it so crucial to the advancement of peace, justice and truth. The one leads to the other; the light will lead  us to right action. I am proud to have served this wonderful school and will continue to do so.”

She continued: “My years at MFS as an employee and now as a volunteer have allowed me to live out and act on the essential tenet of that faith: that guided by the promptings of the Inner Light I can make a positive difference in the lives of my students and colleagues and in this institution. What matters in the end is that the outcomes are consistent with living meaningfully and faithfully.”

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