On April 1st, after the end of the second day back from Spring Break, chatter was heard all throughout Abington Friends Upper School.
Although this is not uncommon for the high school, as most students are eager to reunite with friends or head to afterschool activities, this chatter was focused on the email that had just been sent out to the full community, detailing that Upper School Director Brendon Jobs had announced his departure.
In Head of School Dr. Nicole Hood’s message to families and students, she informed the community of Jobs’ leave, and said, “Upper School Director Brendon Jobs has accepted a new position as Director of Upper School at William Penn Charter School. Brendon will complete the school year with us, ensuring a thoughtful and steady transition for our students, families and faculty.”
In her message, Dr. Hood also specified that “Angela Miklavcic, current Director of Teaching and Learning, [will] serve as Interim Upper School Director for the 2026–2027 school year.”
Being a Quaker School, a time of transition comes with deep processing and discernment. As described by The Philadelphia Yearly Meetings, discernment is “the act of searching for truth, remaining open to the Light beyond the self,” which to some Quakers could mean, as said in The Philadelphia Yearly Meetings, “prayerfully seeking divine guidance.”
Though AFS is attended by students of varying religious backgrounds, the principle of discernment rings true in transitions whether in day to day life, or positions of leadership.
In discussion with both Jobs and Miklavcic, it was clear that both acknowledged that throughout times of change, as a Quaker Institution, we look to Quaker principles of community to guide us.
When looking back on his journey as an educator and Director with Jobs, he said, “I have been teaching for close to 20 years now. I never thought I would be a school principal.”
As an accomplished educator with extensive experience as a history teacher at The Philadelphia School for Girls and Girard Academic Music Program, director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Haverford School, and instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, where he contributes to this day, Jobs is continuously inspired by the knowledge he has taken from his many accomplishments.
When reflecting back on his past 5 years serving as Director of Upper School, Jobs said, “My experience at AFS has been one of real deep meaningful growth for me personally. We talk about continuing revelations in Quakerism and learning how to believe in my capacity to be able to meet the needs of you know a wide ranging diverse group of folks… My experience at AFS so far has been one of growth, of learning actually kind of the edges of my capacity as a professional and as a human. It also has been fun.Five years have gone by really quickly.”
As Jobs references, continuing revelation holds deep weight for many Quakers and Quaker schools. According to Friends Central School, “Continuing Revelation is a foundation upon which the Quaker faith rests. It is the belief that, rather than limit spiritual study to a fixed canon, learning should be an ongoing and never-ending process. Continuing Revelation thus calls Quaker educators and students to a life of ongoing, joy-filled discovery.”
Although Jobs’ leave comes with a sense of loss in the Upper School community, Angela Miklavcic is eager and thoroughly prepared to take on this position with the care, intention and livelihood the role requires.
Jobs said, “I love Angela Miklavcic! I am a fan of Angela Miklavcic! Angela’s been educator for so long [and] I’ve seen her in this community build a pretty quick base of trust in connection [with students and faculty.]”
Miklavcic, who just began her position of Director of Teaching and Learning here at AFS, previously served as a Chemistry teacher at George School, and Associate Head of Upper School at Ravenscroft School. She is excited to take on this new opportunity as well, and is working alongside Jobs to ensure that this transition runs well.
In an interview, Miklavcic said, “This year there’s been a lot of relationship building… I’m working on thinking about onboarding for new faculty and staff and [work] with the Fourth Century Center.”
When asked what she is excited to experience as Interim Director of the Upper School, she said, “I want to try to meet as many students as possible and I still hope to get into lots of classrooms. I really do want to know what the student experience is like because that whole big picture fits into what you’re learning academically.”
Both Miklavcic and Jobs have worked extensively to ensure that this transition runs smoothly, and encourage students and families to reach out if they have any questions, or would love to speak to either one of them.
In coordination with Quaker values, the next step in this process falls on the Upper School, and allows the prospect of how we show up best in community when change has occurred to sit with students and faculty alike.
