On Saturday March 6, 14 upper school students in the Chinese language classes were up bright and early to volunteer with the Capital Area Food Bank to pack and distribute food to a mostly Chinese-speaking population in downtown DC. Participating in the event were Tyler Davis, Micah Gans, Ellie Anderson, Janiyah Basil, Simone Campbell-Hayes, Nina-Skye Johnson, Charlotte Lin, Isabelle Charles, Kayla Park, Cian Fitzgerald, Elias Baldwin, Kayden Kidd, Will Paxson, and Aidan Fitzgerald. The students showed great teamwork in checking in residents and diligently packing bags and boxes of food and loading them into residents’ carts and bags, all while eagerly practicing their Chinese. These students truly embodied the spirit of service at Latin. The students were joined by their Chinese teachers, Mr. Liu and Ms. Han, and parent, Ms. Paxson.
Junior Dylan Paglee wrote a story in Arabic III to retell Aristophanes’ account of the two lovers that Zeus split in half, forever to look for their long lost love. Here’s a rough translation of the story completed by his Arabic teacher, Mr. Hamd: “There was a myth in Greece. In the story two people were in one body. Zeus chose to cut the people in two. For that reason they look for each other, this is their life.” At Latin, the richness of the modern language and classical language curriculum allows students to make complex connections between worlds and cultures.
Sophomores and juniors met up in small groups, masked and socially distant, to participate in outdoor escape rooms, hikes, bike rides, kickball, neighborhood cleanup and a Paint and Sip with Ms. Coleman in the Latin courtyard. This gave upper schoolers a chance to see each other’s faces, catch up, and reconnect over shared passion and creativity while following social distancing protocols.
The Upper School literary magazine, Open Mic, published a beautiful edition this week. Junior Eliza Cattaneo worked hard on the magazine, which was founded several years ago. Juniors Kayla Park and Ally Bliemehl, and freshman Charlotte Lin all played important roles in the publication. Club advisor and English teacher Ms. Seid helped share the hard with teachers and students. The magazine features various art works, paintings, hand drawings, photography, poetry, and narration by upper school students.
Both seventh grader Reva Kelly and eighth grader Niamh O’Donovan have made the city spelling bee after participating in both the schoolwide and area cluster bees. Niamh was the top speller in the cluster bee. Reva was in a 3 way tie for 2nd. All four spellers will advance to the city bee. The city bee will be held virtually in March.
