Next Wednesday February 17, instead of asynchronous work, students will have the chance once again to sign up for Wellness Workshops. Topics include Conflict Resolution, Backyard Birding, Baking Club, Boys Discussion Group, High Intensity Training, Craft Circles, Self-Portrait Poetry, Weaving, Storytime, and Extreme Bocci Ball. Wellness Days give students a chance to unplug from the academic load and find activities that are pleasurable and help them recharge their emotional and physical batteries. 

This week was Upper School Spirit Week and the students celebrated in style! On Monday, students represented their class colors, with seniors in black, juniors in blue, sophomores in green, and freshmen in yellow and orange. Tuesday was a tropical day, filled with Hawaiian shirts and shorts.  On Thursday students dressed as a famous person or character from literature or movies. Friday students honored love with romantic outfits in red or pink for Valentine’s Day. For each day, a winner was selected and awarded a $10 gift card of their choice of ensemble. 

Students in Mr. Byrd’s eighth grade history class are studying the Constitutional Convention with reenactments of the Federalist and Democratic-Republicans initial debates about how to run the new nation.  Students debated the role of the national bank to stabilize the economy and their interpretations of the constitution.  Each researched their party’s opinions on the constitution and created a Flipgrid defending or explaining the party’s philosophies. Prior to this project groups of 8th graders researched selected amendments to collaborate on a slideshow presentation explaining the history, background, and current application of their amendment.  Some students chose to write an original story about their amendment instead.

The class of 2021 will take their final Senior Portraits on Saturday at the school from 9 to 4:30. Ms. Kolb, the yearbook advisor will be there along with various faculty volunteers to help capture the seniors at their finest for the yearbook. 

Last Friday Ms. Smith hosted groups of seniors in the parking lot outside her home for fire pits, warm beverages and conversations. Seniors reflected on their experiences at Latin, discussing such topics as what makes us human, and our place in the solar system. For seniors, the chance to join together in small groups and reflect offers them a respite from academics and applications and a chance to share ideas. Other attendees include Ms. Brady, Mr. Clausen, Ms. Raskin, and Mr. Hotchkiss, all of whom work with seniors as teachers, advisors, mentors, or club advisors.