The Upper School college fair was Wednesday from 2-3:15. Students had the chance to meet with over forty different visiting college representatives and ask questions about the unique experiences at various schools. Schools in attendance included Fairleigh Dickinson, Denison, The New School, Tufts University, Ohio State, Wesleyan, Georgetown and DePauw. Our students also attend college fairs at other schools, and over spring break, several children attend a chaperoned trip to college campuses. These events help students get a taste of college life to help make decisions and set goals for their futures.
Juniors and seniors in the Upper School took the PSATs and SATs during the school day on Wednesday. Our school made great care to provide quiet, organized testing conditions in the MPR, library, and in small groups. This important day of testing gives students a chance to show colleges the skills they have developed in middle and high school. Our eighth, ninth, and tenth graders will take the PSAT later in the year as practice so they are well-versed in the test by the time their junior year comes around. Also, this gives us a benchmark to assess student progress over the course of a career at Latin.
Middle and Upper Schoolers are invited to audition next week afterschool on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for the 2018 play, which will be Urinetown: the Musical. The play, which premiered Off-Broadway in 2001, is a satire of the legal system, politics, and capitalism. It won the Tony award for Best Book and Best Score in 2002. Last year students excelled in the musical production of In the Heights, showcasing powerful acting, singing, and dancing.
As part of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation’s “Writers-in-Schools” program, author Gish Jen will be visiting Washington Latin on Monday, October 16 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm. Jen writes essays and short stories about East-West cultural differences and Asian-American identity. Her latest is A Girl at the Baggage Claim, a study about how culture influences identity. Previously the Foundation has sent writer Donal Ryan and Madison Smart Bell to our school.
The Music Department hosted its first fundraiser of the year at the house of sophomore Owen Fox-Whelpton. The event included musical performances of songs like “Happy” and “Rockin’ Robin” by the Honors Choir and “September” and “Let’s Call the Whole Things Off” by the Jazz Band. This event helped contribute to the Music Department’s fundraising to reach its goal. The music department, under the direction of Arts Department Chair Ms. VerCammen (Nevola), uses money for field trips, licensing music, piano accompanists for concerts, and purchase of instruments for performances. Other fundraisers include the Winter Arts Dinner. The Arts Department has currently raised half of its $10,000 annual goal. To make a donation, click here.
