NEWS
SCHOOL NEWS
Read about what is happening at Latin!
Chinese Celebration
Upper school Chinese teachers Mr. Liu and Ms. Han lead students in a Lunar New Year celebration this month, complete with festive decorations, food, and games. The teachers taught lessons about Chinese language and culture in their classes, and their students created projects on the Chinese New Year. Feel free to look here for more detail into student projects
Upper School Scientists Soar
Ninth graders in Mr. Torrence and Mr. Keller’s physics classes participated in the science fair on Thursday. Students conducted original research on everything from animal behavior to physics. One pair studied the impact of energy drinks on heart rates. Another pair evaluated the impact of vitamin C on a guinea pig’s ability to move rapidly through a maze. Another student built his own motor, and a pair of students completed an engineering challenge, building bridges and testing the weight they could hold. Judges included parents, former students, teachers, and community members. The upper and middle school science fairs ask students to do some preliminary research, form a hypothesis, assemble materials, plan their procedure, conduct research, evaluate results, write a conclusion, and showcase their work, citing the sources for their research. The work is time-consuming, challenging, and hands-on, to build better scientists and critical thinkers.
Wrestlers Wrangle
In last week’s wrestling tournament Mr. Torrence’s elite group of wrestlers beat the tournament winners (Saint Anselm’s) in heads-up matches and took 2nd place as a team. This is the first time the team has placed as a team in any tournament, and the highest the team has placed in the MAWL conference, which includes public and private schools in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. Senior Keith Stancil won his final match by pin to claim silver. Junior Jackson Lewis won his two official matches to claim the top spot at 170. Zemen Sium won all of his matches by pin. Sophomore Zaire Jackson notched an upset victory in a revenge match against his foe from Saint Anselm’s with a rare defensive pin. Junior D’Andre Person and freshman Eamon Price battled injuries off the mat, but still showed up for their teammates, along with freshman Maccabi Epstein who faced his teammate in an exhibition.
Varsity Sports Heats Up!
On Tuesday, varsity boys beat IDEA PCS in a tight game, winning 61-58 in overtime. Meanwhile the girls beat Basis 46-10, in a lopsided win. Their team spirit, collegiality, and positive attitudes through these competitive games. Thursday, the girls play DCI and the boys play SEED in the semi-final round of the PCSAA playoffs. The wrestling team goes tot he state tournament on Saturday at Gonzaga, and the indoor track goes to George Mason for the DC State Championships.
Ninth Grade Poets Persevere
On Wednesday’s Poetry Out Loud competition ninth graders took the top three spots. First place winner was Oscar Murray, second place winner was Brooke Roberson, and the third place finisher was Ruby-Rae McCants. Students spent several weeks evaluating, analyzing, and memorizing famous poems in their English classes for the competition, vying with sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the competition. Congratulations to the young poetry aficionados and the ninth grade English teacher, Ms. Alston on their poetry prowess! Oscar will proceed to the next level of the city-wide competition.