In the final weeks of May, students will have a chance to reflect, re-see, and review during their academic classes. Grades 7 through 12 will have end of year assessments and final exams to prepare for, and as teachers wrap up the academic year, special attention will be spent on connecting to the past. Students will have a chance to compare and contrast different books, connect varied mathematical functions in multi-step assignments, make connections between historical events, and analyze classical texts with a sense of purpose during this time. The purpose of the end of year assessments is to give a chance for students to think critically and cumulatively about what they have learned, make abstract connections between ideas, compare and analyze from a vantage point of expertise. This is also a particularly important time for students to attend tutorial to review and ask questions as they look back!
It has been a tricky year for the graduating class of 2021. Students completed college applications, handled AP and academically challenging classes, and various rites of passage without the daily comfort of face-to-face learning. The seniors have taken these challenges in stride, and as they began a busy week of AP testing, this was also the beginning of a period of celebration of their hard work. Seniors met for a luncheon on Wednesday and will meet for a bonfire at Ms. Smith’s house tonight with several of their teachers. And the next months includes many more celebrations for seniors, including the prom May 21st, the cookout June 7th, Upper School Valediction June 11th, and graduation June 14th.
For the final assembly of the middle school year, students reflected on the concept of Carpe Diem. Retiring school principal reflected on the history of the quote from Horace, which can be translated as “pluck the day, trusting as little as possible in the next one.” Seventh graders J.D. Miller and Mikey Cooper reflected on their own experiences with choosing to seize the day in a speech to his peers, as did ninth grader Carys Nelson, who joined Washington Latin last year and fifth grader Quinn Frankiewicz. Students honored each other for being a supportive, kind, and cooperative classmates fifth grader Simon Riedel, sixth grader Sadie Greenhalgh, and sixth grader Karinna Meier, and also honored their teachers with “Faculty of the Month” merits. Teachers noted the hard-work, humor, tenacity, resilience, and kindness of this month’s merit winners, fifth graders Maxwell Gross, Mila Simpson, and Musa Dansby, sixth graders Lorelei Tarleton, Miles Johnson, and Selah Brown, seventh graders Carys Gill, Coruan Nunn, and Kai Pfeuffer, and finally eighth graders Bethel Gebreyesus, Dean Herst, and Shayla Greaux. The meeting ended with encouragement from upper school students to their younger peers to consider joining Latin Voices and Jazz Band in high school. There is no better way to seize the day than through music and performance!
The girls’ varsity softball team batted like champs their first game of the season, beating Paul Public Charter School 17 to 3. The team is coached by history teacher Mr. Staten and dance teacher Ms. Kolb. The two captains are seniors Hawa Sturr and Jia Fleming. Freshman catcher Eva Ventura won the game ball for her stellar catching, persistence, and resilience int he face of being battered and whacked a few times by the batter and ball!
We are delighted to announce that Sarai Reed will transition to the Assistant Director of the Middle School, taking on this leadership position as our current Assistant Director, Janelle Bradley, moves to serve as the Director of the Middle School. Ms. Reed, who has been at Latin since 2019, is currently a 6th grade English teacher. She joins the Latin leadership team with the goal of extending her impact beyond the classroom to deliver a classical education for the modern world that is truly accessible for all. Ms. Reed will build on her work as a teacher and continue to focus on both the hearts and minds of her students. Working collaboratively with students and their families, she aims to foster the growth of all our Middle Schoolers as scholars and individuals.
Ms. Reed is a DC native and graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. She received her BA/MA in English from The George Washington University. After graduation, she received a call from a former teacher at Duke Ellington, and the next day was standing in front of 33 10th graders. She recalls that first year of teaching as “a baptism by fire.” And yet, in spite of this challenging and at times humbling experience, Ms. Reed was hooked.
Sitting in her classroom at Latin, Ms. Reed is surrounded by pictures of great authors and several full (but beautifully organized) bookshelves. Among these is a diverse range of authors, and great African American writers are well-represented. She explains, “Students should see themselves reflected in the texts they are asked to read and write about. They should also see themselves in their teachers. In my classroom, I show up as my whole self with the hope that my students will feel inspired and safe to do the same.” Her English classroom has been the intersection of her love of literature and her calling as a teacher, exploring identity through books with students very much in the process of figuring out who they are.
We know Ms. Reed will bring her whole self to the role of Assistant Director of the Middle School, as she has done as a teacher, and will continue to help students discover themselves during their years at Latin.
