This month the upper school clarified its dress code to avoid confusion about appropriate attire. All freshmen and sophomores must have on collared shirts with a school logo. Juniors and seniors may also wear white, navy, Oxford blue, or grey collared shirts, but denim shirts are not allowed. As always, khaki-colored pants or skirts are required, with no rips. Please note that green and olive pants are not in code. Students in the upper school may wear solid navy or grey sweaters, fleeces, hoodies, or sweatshirts, but they may not contain logos or writing on them. All Washington Latin sweatshirts are fine as are Latin athletic jackets, but students must still wear collared shirts underneath. Students must wear closed-heal shoes, and sports sandals are not in code. Students may wear leggings or tights under skirts, but they should be in a solid color. We know that staying in uniform helps students stay focused and not get distracted. It also helps us build school pride and identity.
Students in Honors Humanities visited the National Gallery on Tuesday to see the modern art in the East building and the more traditional art in the West building. The trip was part of a unit on beauty, in which student explore classical, medieval, and modern conceptions of love and beauty. The class is beginning a unit on Beauty, seeking to understand what makes something beautiful and what is the purpose of beauty? Students in the class will also read Plato’s “Symposium” to evaluate these ideas. The Honors Humanities class is open to seniors as a culmination of their studies in art, literature, history, and Latin. Students evaluate compelling themes that are woven throughout the classical tradition by viewing classical and modern texts, reading about history, and viewing art through a critical and analytical lens.
School counselor Mr. Werstein has laminated posters for teachers that read, “No matter where you are from, we’re glad you’re our neighbor!” in three different languages. Teachers have adorned their classrooms with these colorful signs to remind students that this is a welcoming, diverse, and dynamic community and only by supporting one another can we thrive and excel.
Mr. Alpert’s Advanced Physics class recently applied the laws of physics to a new twist on the classic egg drop experiment. Using Hooke’s Law which describes the manner in which springs stretch, students were challenged to build a bungee cord comprised of linked rubber bands that would allow a plastic bag containing an egg to be dropped from a four meter (13 foot) height without damaging the egg. The team that came closest to the floor without breaking the egg would win. Teams were not allowed to use the test site in advance but were challenged to base their final project on a test drop of two meters. Day one resulted in conservative estimates which covered only half of the course. Day two showed that two teams were able to come within four centimeters (one and one half inches) off the floor. No eggs were mistreated in this experiment!
Both French and Arabic students will visit foreign shores over Spring Break. Upper level French students will join Madame Spittler and Mr. Vanterpool on a trip to France, and upper level Arabic students will go with Mr. Eleby-El and Mr. Porcelli to Morocco. Each trip will include stops at museums, markets, and historical sites. In previous years, students in Latin have also visited Rome, and students in Chinese have visited Beijing. International travel helps foreign language students build on their newfound Language acquisition and develop a greater knowledge of culture.
