Beth Johnson ’77 watches field hockey games from her office window at Friends’ Central School (FCS). The field looks almost exactly like it did when she played on it as a student. That view helped spark Phoenix Rising, the Friends’ Central’s multi-phase campaign to transform its athletics and wellness facilities on the City Avenue campus.

Johnson sat down with Main Line Parent to talk about the campaign, her own history with Friends’ Central, and why she believes these new spaces matter for the whole student body.

A Head of School Who Knows the Fields

Johnson has spent most of her life at Friends’ Central. She started as a preschooler and graduated in 1977, then returned as an employee for 25 years, spent six years at Penn Charter, and returned to Friends’ Central to serve as Upper School Principal before becoming Head of School. As a student, she played field hockey all four years of high school.

Decades later, that same field hockey field sits right outside her office. She noticed it hadn’t changed much.

“It’s grass, and it’s bumpy, and it has divots in it,” Johnson says. “If you want to be a school that’s competitive and has excellent facilities, you have to think about athletics the same way you think about everything else.”

Enacting a positive change on the sports program at Friends’ Central was personal, and Johnson made it a top priority to ensure the facilities at FCS could compete with the best in the Friends Schools League.

From One Field to a Full Vision

Johnson says the campaign started with a simple, practical problem. Friends’ Central was one of the last schools in its league without a turf field for field hockey. But a single turf field creates a scheduling puzzle.

“If there’s a game going on the turf, how do you practice with the other teams to get ready?” Johnson says.

That question sparked a much bigger conversation, pushing administrators to look at every outdoor sport at once: field hockey, soccer, lacrosse, softball, and baseball. Johnson credits the School’s Board of Trustees for getting behind a bigger vision instead of a single-field fix.

“All of these sports will benefit from, and all of our students will be impacted, by Phoenix Rising,” she says.

Phase one includes new turf surfaces for field hockey, soccer, lacrosse, softball, and baseball, plus a resodded, regulation-size premier grass field with its own irrigation system. The School is also adding a new track, finished in Friends’ Central blue. Crews expect the track and both turf fields to open this fall, with the grass field and new baseball facility ready for play this spring.

The two new fields already have names that capture the moment: the FC Field and the Phoenix Field.

Building a Fitness Space for the Entire School

Phase two moves indoors, expanding fitness access for the entire Friends’ Central community. The School is renovating a portion of the wrestling room in the Shimada Athletic Center to expand into a newly renovated fitness space any student can use, whether or not they play a sport. 

The upgrade also raises wrestling’s profile. Larger matches, like quadrangular meets and the Friends’ Schools League championship, will move upstairs into the main Shimada gymnasium, giving the team a bigger stage in front of more fans. A new retractable wall will separate the wrestling room from the adjacent fitness center, so both spaces operate independently.

“We have students here who are into activities we don’t offer, like horseback riding, figure skating, or fencing,” she says. “They still care about their bodies and their minds. We want this space to feel like it’s for everyone, not just students on a team during a particular season.”

Any student can walk in and use the treadmills, ellipticals, rowing machines, and free weights — no roster spot required.  Johnson notes that isn’t the norm everywhere.

“A lot of schools don’t offer that,” she says. “If you have to be on a roster to use the weight room, that changes who benefits from it.”

Research from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services links regular physical activity in teens to reduced anxiety and depression, along with better focus, mood, and academic performance.  “There’s so much conversation right now about mental health for teenagers,” Johnson says. “We want this space to support kids’ minds and bodies, whether or not they play a sport.”

A Track Record of Winning Programs

Johnson is quick to point out that Phoenix Rising is investing in a program that’s already succeeding, giving credit to the existing coaches and staff in the athletic department.

In the 2025-2026 school year alone, FCS girls’ Varsity basketball won the PA state championships; Varsity softball, Varsity girls’ and boys’ tennis, Varsity girls’ and boys’ swimming, and Varsity wrestling all made it to the Friends’ School League Championships, with wins by softball and girls’ tennis (their 10th and 19th FSL Championships respectively!). And Middle School track teams both won the Penn Relays 4x100M.

“People talk about the quality of our coaches — not only their expertise, but how they build character, resilience, and confidence in our students,” she says.

A recent, smaller project offers a preview of what’s possible: an anonymous donor helped refresh the school’s tennis courts with windscreens, decals, and a redesigned entrance. The space, now called the Ulmer Family Tennis Complex, became a turning point for the broader campaign.

“It was a big win for a small investment,” Johnson says. “In some ways, that was the catalyst that helped us think, ‘We can do this.'”

Strong Community Support Behind the Scenes

Johnson says the response to Phoenix Rising has come from every corner of the Friends’ Central community: alumni/ae, current and former parents, and even faculty and staff.

“I don’t know anyone more excited than me, but there’s genuine excitement, interest, and support,” she says. The School is closing in on its fundraising goal for phases one and two.

“It’s overdue,” Johnson says. “The second meeting I had as a new head of school was with someone asking about turf, and I said, ‘Give me time.’ People have been waiting for this.”

What Phoenix Rising Means for Prospective Families

For families weighing a Friends’ Central education, Johnson wants the new fields and fitness center to represent something bigger than facilities.

“Friends’ Central is on the move,” she says. The School’s strategic plan, launched in 2022, has already produced a long list of completed initiatives across facilities, curriculum, and community life.

“We’re not standing still. We’re not satisfied with what we’re doing today,” Johnson says. “These turf fields are just the tip of the iceberg.”

“At Friends’ Central, we’re so much more than our facilities. It’s about the people here,” Johnson says. “I want our athletic facilities to match what we’re already able to deliver through our people.”

Friends’ Central will celebrate the first phase of Phoenix Rising with a ribbon-cutting event this fall. Families interested in seeing the new fields, meeting coaches, and learning more about the School’s athletics and wellness programs can plan to attend an upcoming Open House.

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This Friends’ Central School story is featured in the Fall Education Guide. 

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Photos by Polina Bulman Photography.