Reaching new heights
at Friends Select School

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

Sometimes concentrating on field hockey can be challenging for Keara McLaughlin. It usually happens when she’s competing hundreds of feet above the ground.
The sophomore at Friends Select School — at 17th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway — spends her mornings hitting the books in her classrooms. Her afternoons are spent playing sports high above them.
Friends Select, you see, has a full-length turf hockey field on the roof of the school.
"It’s pretty cool seeing and hearing the city from up here," said McLaughlin, who has been a student at the school since first grade. "It was a little weird at first, but now I think we’re all used to it."
Last year, the Holmesburg resident helped the Friends Select field hockey team participate in postseason play for the first time in school history.
"Keara is our top defender," said coach Liz Rafter. "We have her at center back because she’s awesome at stepping up and carrying the ball out."
After a 13-0 victory over Morrisville on Monday, Friends Select has a 6-0 record in the Friends School League, which is composed of eight schools in Philadelphia, Montgomery County and New Jersey.
"I think we could win a championship this year," Rafter said. "The team has really transformed. They’re working a lot harder and becoming stronger athletes."
McLaughlin thinks it comes down to camaraderie.
"The girls really get along on and off the field, which I think makes us stronger as a team," she said.
When the field hockey season ends, McLaughlin will take her talents indoors to the basketball court, where she plays point guard. Then, in the spring, it’s on to the softball field.
"I think playing three sports is better because you have no downtime — it’s easier to keep in shape that way," said McLaughlin. "It’s also helpful because you need a lot of the same skills and it builds your endurance. In field hockey and basketball, you always have to be low, so one helps me with the other."
Even when no sports are in season, McLaughlin finds a way to hang around her home away from home. For the past two summers, the 15-year-old has volunteered as a camp counselor for Friends Select.
"I love working with little kids, so it’s perfect," she said. "The camps have teachers that lead the class, and then I play games and supervise the kids to make sure they’re having fun and everything is OK. I went to the camp when I was younger and now I’m working it, which is cool."
It’s a long commute from McLaughlin’s house in Holmesburg to Center City, but she doesn’t seem to mind.
It probably helps that she gets a lift from her mom every day.
"My mom works here, so I go with her," said McLaughlin, whose mother has worked in the business office for 11 years. "Sometimes there’s a lot of traffic, so that’s frustrating. But it’s not that bad . . . it’s totally worth it."
Friends Select School has been a part of the Philadelphia community since 1885. It is a Quaker day school that accommodates pre-kindergarten through grade 12.
In addition to its prestigious academic program, Friends Select has some impressive sports facilities, including a double gymnasium, swimming pool, weight room and wrestling room, and, of course, that hockey field on the roof.
"I’m so happy here — I love it," said McLaughlin. "I enjoy spending all my time here because it’s such a great place to be." ••
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com