Middle school students participated in the first Model UN conference before Thanksgiving, hosted by the DC Global Classrooms. The conference took place today as part of a training session for students who were new to the Model UN experience, and students debated the topic of “Preventing Future Pandemics.” Participants included sixth grader Michael Lewis, and seventh graders Sarah Murphy, Neri Portilla Marchiori, Jocelyn Gill, and Zane Wood, along with 8th grader Carys Gill. Students represented various countries from South Africa, to South Sudan, Portugal, and Russia. The team is advised by 7th grade history teacher Reggie Wills.
Students shared gratitude and good food with an MPR Thanksgiving feast for upper schoolers during advisory lunch for seniors. Teachers helped serve food to seniors, who piled their plates high with turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, corn bread, and salad, among other tasty desserts. The advisors opened the meal with a brief thought about togetherness or community. Students had thank you cards as their seating cards to sit together as a group. Thanks to the senior advisors, who made this delicious and moving event happen.
All the world’s a stage, and several classrooms are full of poor players, strutting and fretting their moments on the stage. The theater rooms are busy with preparation for Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” which will premiere in December. The play, directed by theater teacher Mr. Birkenhead, features performances by seniors Nalla Diallo, Kayla Park, Keith Stancil, and Kayla Freedman, along with juniors Sam Regardie, Zoe Woods-Arthur and Paulina Inglima, freshmen August Heim and Ruby-Rae McCants, and eighth grader J.D. Miller. Meanwhile, preparations for the spring musical are underway. Students will perform “Pippin,” by Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson. Student performers include junior Genaba Diallo, senior Cameron Parker, and sophomore Devyn Scott.
The Upper School celebrated a fall spirit week, with a Lazy/Comfy day full of cozy sweatsuits, a twin day, with pairs, triplets, quads, and quints matching their ensembles. Wednesday was Decades Day, with students and teachers throwing it way back in outfits that depicted various historical era. Students showcased 60’s bell bottoms, 70’s loungewear, 80’s polo shirts and pleated jeans, nineties hip hop baggie pants and shirts on backwards, and more. Several teachers got in the action, throwing it way back with Mr. Stiff as a groovy sixties hippy, Mr. Porcelli as a turn of the century paperboy, and Mr. Martin rocking some 1770s style in colonial gear. These flashes from the past brought a ton of humor. On Thursday students wore their class colors and the faculty played afterschool in a game against the varsity soccer players.
Gratitude was the theme of Wednesday’s middle school assembly. Teachers and students reflected on the people and places that fill their hearts with gratitude. Ms. Bradley and Ms. Reed spoke about gratitude, and then encouraged others to share. The teacher speaker with student support services and math teacher Ms. Nelson. The student speaker was Jonah Cohen. Other highlights included merits, with students and faculty both honoring each other, and students taking the chance to share gratitude to individual friends who are always there for them and help bring cheer, humor, comfort, and kindness to the community. Students watched the assembly on Zoom in an advisory lunch.
