Welcome to CFS! 
On behalf of our staff, students, and school families, I hope you find on our website the information you seek and, perhaps, the inspiration to learn more about this remarkable community of teachers and learners. In fact, if you are in the position of choosing, I urge you to consider Carolina Friends School, and I guarantee that your inquiry and exploration will provide a unique lens into what’s possible in school.

 
At CFS we ask ourselves regularly: “What’s an education for?” and we believe that school at its very best is transformational, teachers and students developing as fully as possible their understanding of themselves, one another, their world, and the differences they can make in it. 

 
I am a student at heart and came to CFS in search of two things: professional responsibilities that would ask more of me and a particularly community-minded place. I have found both! And I have learned quickly, much to my delight, that being a member of this Friends school community asks a great deal of all of us on our journeys as learners, leaders, and stewards. Take a close look, please, and share with us your questions. We are grateful for your interest and eager to share our story with you.
Thinking school,

Mike Hanas credits several great teachers for their wisdom, ideas, and conviction, but says, “I’ve never had a better teacher than my mother. Whatever I have of patience, ability to listen closely, to trust, and to make room for the best efforts of others, I learned first and best from her.” Mike’s formal education began in Chicago’s parochial schools. He earned a baccalaureate degree in Classics cum laude at the College of the Holy Cross (MA). Mike began teaching at Tabor Academy (MA), where he chaired the Classics Department, served as an advisor and dorm parent, and coached three sports. He went on to complete a master’s program in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. He joined the faculty at St. Paul’s School (NH), an Episcopal boarding school; there he taught classics, co-chaired a Humanities Curriculum Design Team, had admissions and college counseling responsibilities, served as an advisor and dorm parent, and coached basketball.

Mike and his family moved to North Carolina, and he spent a year in the History Department at Durham Academy. In fall of 2000 he came to Carolina Friends School as Upper School Head Teacher. In addition to administrative duties at CFS, he has taught courses in classics, Quakerism, government, and writing. He began serving as Principal in July 2003.

Mike and his wife Sue have two children currently enrolled in the CFS Middle School. Mike remains an ardent Chicago Cubs fan and enjoys playing with his kids, spending time with friends, reading, and listening to Bruce Springsteen.

“My philosophy of education is a philosophy of hope,” says Mike. Grounded in a profound respect for the School’s history, mission, and values, he speaks of high expectations and tremendous potential for CFS and its people. The CFS community looks forward to “what’s next” under Mike’s stewardship.