Last weekend the upper school boys’ track team scored 46 points, finishing 5th overall at the Draper Invitational meet, against a few public and many private schools from the Washington, D.C. area. Our school was the only charter school to attend. Freshman Luke Tewalt earned 2nd in the Boys’ 3200m, running 10:01.48 on Friday. Tewalt was the only freshman to place in that race. Luke also won the Freshman 1 mile race, with a time of 4:44.00, finishing as the 2nd fastest time run by a freshman in the meet’s history. Senior Sam Mader achieved his dream of finishing the 800m with a time under 2:00 minutes. He scored 1:59.16, earning a fourth place finish and a fourth place rank for the city’s record. The boys’ 4x200m team of seniors Judah Lloyd and James Medrano and juniors Ayinde Motirayo and Max Muradian won 2nd overall running 1:32.48. The 4x400m relay team of Lloyd, Mader, Motirayo and Muradian won 3rd overall with a time of 3:34.87. Finally, the boys’ 4x800m relay team of seniors Mader, Matthew Davis, and freshmen Tewalt and Oliver Spiva shattered the Latin school record with a second place finish and a time of 8:25.41. The track team is coached by middle school dean Mr. Callum and upper school grade director Ms. Brady.
Tuesday middle school students attended the DC Global Classrooms Model United Nations Conference held at the U.S. State Department. Eighth graders Steve Mirabello, Robbie Mirabello, Philip Horrigan, Aaron Scott, Zoe Edelman, Niko Davis, Oriana Escobar, Mihir Patel and Samir Bhojwani, seventh graders Henry Cohen, Vladimir Zadorojny, Ava Pugh, and sixth grader Jamie Hayes joined 700 students from private and public schools in Washington, Maryland, and Virginia. Zadorojny and Escobar received cerificates of Honorable Mention for their performances on the UN Environment Programme Committee. They represented the Russian Federation and debated the topic Climate Change and Rising Sea Levels. Horrigan and Bhojwani received the award for Best Position Paper while serving on the UN Security Council. They represented the country of Somalia. They debated the topic of civil unrest in Somalia. Mirabello and Patel received the award for Best Delegates on the UN Security Council. They represented the Russian Delegation, and debated the topic of Civil Unrest in Somalia. Mirabello was seleced among this group to serve as the Secretary-General for the entire conference, and was given the honor of presidng over the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the conference. He spoke with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who attended the conference and gave a speech. The middle school Model UN Club is advised by seventh grade history teacher Mr. Wills and gives students the chance to learn more about foreign policies and how global issues impact people’s lives.
On Monday, various upper school students attended a career fair at the National Archives with Ms. Foster. Jasina Patterson, Emma Olson, Baily Pinckney, Josh Simpson, Monae Jordan, Bianca Spann, Nick Harvey, Eddie Singleton and Bryant McClary learned about the variety of careers at the Archives, including media, research, exhibits, IT, graphic design, and conservationism. Field trips to college fairs, career fairs, and various workspaces allow students to get a broad perspective about the numerous and varied paths they can pursue after Latin.
Fifth graders attended a program called “Reach for the Moon: John F. Kennedy’s Vision and Courage,” a commemorative program in honor of the 100th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s birth. It combined music played by the National Symphony Orchestra with the theme of space exploration. Students watched 6 different pieces by modern and classical composers. Students dressed for success in fancy dresses and suits. Trips to the Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, and Shakespeare Theater Company allow students to take advantage of the rich arts and cultural scene in the city.
Several seniors have decided to take a gap year this year, postponing their freshman year at college while they travel or study abroad. Elena Mujal has postponed her freshman year at Pomona to take part in the Congress-Bundestag Vocational Youth Exchange. She is one of only 25 high school graduates in the United States of America who will be sent to Germany for a year to study, live with a host family in various cities, and take part in an internship for a German company. Meanwhile, Ben Roodman has postponed his freshman year at Haverford to work on organic farms internationally through WWOOF. Lou McDonough will be spending a gap year in Portugal before starting at Middlebury the following year and that ZhenHua Pavetti will be going to Spain before attending James Madison University. Theo Shoag plans to postpone his freshman year at Bates to travel on the Appalachian Trail.
