For Washington Latin teachers, a commitment to reading is not limited to the books we assign in class. For many years we have assigned books for our whole faculty to read over the summer. And often groups of teachers will decide to form book clubs. This year we are continuing to build on this tradition, with monthly books that teachers commit to read as part of a Faculty Reads Initiative. The purpose of the monthly book clubs is to find common ground and a lens to dig deeper into some of the challenging aspects of teaching to better inform our practice. Just like the discussion-based book groups which engage our students in English and history classes, our teacher groups are full of lively discussion and thoughtful reflections.
In August, some of us read The Trauma Informed School: A Step-by-Step Implementation Guide for Administrators and School Personnel. This book gave faculty the chance to think about how to address some of the challenging lives students may lead and build community systems and rules that respect their experiences. My leadership team also read Leadership is an Art by Max DePree. We followed up in September with Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: And Other Conversations About Race. This book, by Beverly Tatum, sparked complex and thoughtful discussions about race and segregation, and helped us better approach the idea of diversity and inclusion.
In December, we launched two groups. Some read Teaching with the Brain in Mind, a book by Eric Jensen about neurological development, which helped teachers re-consider how we plan lessons and activities, based specifically on the most current research on the developing adolescent brain. Others read Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You’d Had by Tracy Johnston Zager.
At the end of this month, we will start two new groups. Some will read Why Don’t Students Like School, a book by psychology professor Daniel Willingham. Others will tackle Make it Stick, a book written by psychology researchers and management consultants that focuses on memory acquisition. If time permits, we will read The Hidden Lives of Learners by Graham Nuthall. an education professor. Finally, we will end the year with Millionaire Teacher: The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned in School.
This semester we also kicked off book groups for parents. Dr. Smith is facilitating a study of The Teenage Brain. And, two of our faculty members are leading a study of Wendy Mogel’s The Blessing of a B Minus. See below for more information on this. There will be more to come after spring break. And even if you don’t participate in a school-sponsored club, we encourage you to dive into a good book. Happy Reading!
At Washington Latin, we have always valued athletics as central to our approach to learning and developing young adults. As part of the classical tradition, the challenges of physical strength and endurance were highly valued, and part of leading a balanced life. Like the soldier Pheidippides who raced from a battlefield in Marathon to the city of Athens, in 490 B.C., and the competitors in the first modern Olympic games in 1896 in Greece, feats of skill and speed were highly prized.
In the past two years we have grown our sports offerings and we look forward to being able to add even more programs in the future. Each year we are highly competitive in our league in multiple sports, most notably soccer, cross country and track and field. Under the leadership of one of the city’s most capable coaches, Mr. Jamille Callum, we have had an impressive showing in track, with two of our athletes – Luke Tewalt and Zoe Edelman – breaking records and distinguishing themselves at meets in the local area and beyond.
While many of our students bring their talents each season to the fields, courts and arenas where we compete, others pursue their athletic passions outside of our school. While we cannot highlight all these athletes, we want to pause for a moment here to celebrate some of these hard-working young people. Last year, freshman Changa Anderson, an ardent gymnast, placed first in the 13-14 year-old age group in both trampoline and double-mini trampoline at the USA Gymnastics Championships. He has also competed internationally at the World Competitions in St. Petersburg, Russia as part of Team USA in his age group. His athleticism was lauded in this article by Citypaper. Senior Daud Gantt-Bey, who competes in tennis outside of school, is one of the highest ranked players in the city and has a bright future in this sport.
Freshman Ja’Niece Austin-Lindsey participates in competitive cheering and stunts. Freshman Dylan Paglee takes part in competitive sailing. Sophomore Griffin Smith participates in a crew program. Sophomore Jia Fleming practices karate. Eighth grader Eleanor Ashdown is at a competition this week for figure skating. Fifth grader Eliza Lowenfish is a ballet dancer performing at the Kennedy Center this week. Sophomore Ella Norlen is also a serious ballet dancer, who studies with celebrated coaches after school and in the summer. Junior Aya Salem is a competitive horseback rider. Junior Ryan Bradley excels in Irish dance. Sophomore Katharine Roslof enjoys rowing. Junior Felicity and senior Miranda Ryan and sophomore Aviel Honey have all honed their skills in Jiu Jitsu. Junior Zoe Crute has skied competitively.
The self-discipline to participate in rigorous athletic competition and maintain high levels of physical fitness outside of the classroom is a source of pride to many students. We encourage students to learn more about each other’s extra-curricular passions and attend a friend’s athletic event afterschool or on the weekend. We will continue to honor their achievements and hard work in the Legenda and on the website! So, please send us more information.
Mr. Day lead a soiree this week on religion for Washington Latin teachers at Ms. Smith’s house. Mr. Day, an upper school English teacher, has a graduate degree in religion and also teaches the Comparative Religions elective. He organized teachers into a discussion using elements of the Harkness Method, which he studied this summer at a teacher program at Phillips Exeter Academy, in New Hampshire. Ms. Smith hosts regular soirees to discuss pertinent and philosophical issues that relate to the classical tradition, to allow teachers to examine a complex text and hold a Socratic discussion, mirroring some of the activities we have in our classroom.
Junior MK Wilson won several Writopia Lab awards presented by Scholastic. She won three Gold Key Awards and two Silver Key Awards for poetry and journalism. MK is the editor in chief of the school newspaper for the second year in a row.
This week was the Music Department’s Winter Dinner Concert. This annual fundraiser was organized by Arts Department Chair Melissa VerCammen, with assistant principal and culinary diva Khashiffa Roberts catering. The event features performances by the various choirs and the Jazz Band. Our music department includes an eighth grade choir, the Latin Voices choir, a small Honors Choir, and the band. Students perform regularly inside the building and around D.C. The choirs also take trips to New York City, Pittsburgh, and are fundraising for a planned trip to New Orleans for the Jazz Band.
