Juniors Dyllan Cole and Chandler Brossard won scholarships to study foreign languages abroad through the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) Exchange Programs, sponsored by the State Department. The program provides merit-based scholarships for high school students to learn less commonly taught languages during a summer or academic year of immersion. Dyllan will send 6 weeks in Jordan studying Arabic, and Chandler will spend 6 weeks in Chengdu, China, studying Mandarin.
On Friday, the AP Latin class will visit an exhibit on Black Classicists at the Center for Hellenic Studies. The exhibit focuses on the first generation of Black PhDs in Classics. Colleges like Howard University played an important role in offering a range of classes on Classics and Latin and Greek to African American students during the 19th Century. Classicists in the exhibit include Wiley Lane (1852-1885), Helen Maria Chestnut (1880-1969), William Sanders Scarborough (1852-1926), John Wesley Edward Bowen (1855-1933), John Wesley Gilbert (1864-1923), Frazelia Campbell (1849-1930), William Henry Crogman (1841-1931), Reuben Shannon Lovinggood (1864-1916), Edward Wilmot Blyden (1832-1912), Lewis Baxter Moore (1866-1928), Richard Theodore Greener (1844-1922), George Morton Lightfoot (1868-1947), Daniel Barclay Williams (1861-1895), James Monroe Gregory (1849-1915), and William Lewis Bulkley (1867-1933).
Over Spring Break, students in upper school advanced Chinese classes traveled to China with Ms. Stouder, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Liu, and Mr. Hagerty. They visited Beijing, Changsha, and Zhang Jia Jie and spent time meeting students in local schools, hiking, and learning about local family and educational traditions. Students experience local life and see a few major historic sites including Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and tje Great Wall. The world language departments regularly take trips with upper school students during spring break. In previous years, Arabic classes have visited Morocco, French classes have visited Paris, and Latin classes have visited Rome. The chance to learn about a country and culture in person is an exciting experience to immerse themselves in language and view life from the point of view of people far from Washington, D.C.
On Friday, April 6th, the Jazz band will be traveling to the Department of Education to hear the Thelonius Monk Institute present a uniting of jazz bands. The groups performing will include Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Newark School for the Arts and Baltimore School for the Arts. The Institute’s goals include developing college-level jazz collaborations where the masters of jazz could influence the next generation of jazz musicians. April 30th is International Jazz Day.
The new Arts and Literary Magazine, Open Mic has published its first online addition, which can be accessed at https://latinopenmic.wordpress.com. The student published magazine, started this year by junior Chloe Cattaneo features poetry, short stories, photography, and drawings by students in the middle and upper school. Sophomore MaryKate Wilson is the assistant editor, junior Ava Tiller is the head of design, junior Ciara Hovell is the art editor, sophomore Gabby Micheli is the web designer, junior Chloe Timberg is the poetry editor, eighth grader Micah Gans is the treasurer, and junior Nathan Cobbs is the outreach manager. Open Mic plans to publish a second print edition in the spring.
On March 23 as part of our Spirit Week celebrations, upper school students will be having a teacher basketball game during advisory lunch. Teachers representing the 9th and 10th grade team will take on the combined 11th and 12th grade teacher team. Each team will have a maximum of eight players and some student coaches. For 9th and 10th grade, the student coaches are Zoe Edelman and Ethan Gadson. For 11th and 12th grade the coaches will be Kayla Price, Mika Robinson and Daryl Dixon. On that day, students in 9th and 10th grade will be wearing white and teachers that teach those grades should do the same. For 11th and 12th grade students will be wearing black and teachers that teach those grades. should do the same.
