Tuesday September 25th will be Study Abroad Night. Students and parents are invited to hear from students who have studied abroad and from various programs that sponsor our children’s journeys. In the past, students have studied abroad with the help of Qatar Foundation International, The National Security Language Initiative for Youth, The Paideia Institute, and the Finland-US-Future Leaders Scholarship. Students have visited China, Italy, Greece, India, Finland, Morocco, and many other countries to pursue language and cultural immersions.
Once again students will have visits from PEN/Faulkner Award Winners this year. The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is a national prize for works by American citizens in a calendar year. Three selected writer judges choose five books as finalists for the award. All finalists are invited to Washington, D.C. for the PEN/Faulkner Award Ceremony. On September 24, James Hannaham will visit Ms. Seid’s class in the morning to discuss discuss Delicious Foods, winner of the 2016 PEN/Faulkner Award. On Monday, October 29, Mark Z. Danielewski will visit another class to discuss his horror-love story called House of Leaves, which won in 2000.
Middle School parents attended Back to School Night on Thursday. Teachers presented an overview of the curriculum, complete with discussions about the essential questions that govern each class. Back to School Night is a great chance to learn about what happens inside the classroom and get a sense of the long-term goals and objectives for each classroom. Upper School Back to School Night is next Thursday.
Teachers visited Mr. Hagerty’s junior class to describe their own experiences and memories from September 11, 2001. Speakers included Ms. Abercrombie, Mr. Martin, Ms. Breitman, and Ms. Grant. The visitors spoke about their memories of the day and its aftermath and their thoughts about how the terrorist attack has affected our society since then. For many students who were born since the event, the personal experiences help illustrate the intense emotions associated with this historic event and help them understand the context and aftermath of the incident. Later in the year Mr. Hagerty’s class will travel to Shanksville, Pennsylvania to see the site of the downed fourth plane.
Ms. Grant’s DC History classes went on a walking tour Wednesday and Thursday of U Street. Local historical sites include the Victorian-era neighborhood, developed largely between 1862 and 1900. The historic district was the center of Washington’s African American community between 1900 and 1948, including African American fraternities/societies, theaters, and jazz clubs. Students were surprised to meet Ben’s Chili Bowl owner Virginia Ali and former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson in their travels this week.
