This Thursday the AP Human Geography class took a field trip to Planet Word. The downtown museum focuses on language across culturesWelcome to Planet Word! Get ready to be inspired by the power, fun, and beauty of words while you explore our many interactive galleries and exhibits. It features a Speaking Willow tree designed by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, a 22-foot wall that shares the story of the derivation of the English language, and interviews with speakers and ASL signers from all over the globe, sampling various language to understand vocabulary, syntax, grammar, and meaning. 

On Thursday, December 16th, the Distinguished Speaker Series: hosted 2013 Washington Latin graduate St. Clair Detrick-Jules. This filmmaker and writer and photographer focuses on immigration, women’s rights, and African American culture and identity. She directed and produced the documentary DACAMENTED, about nine DACA recipients. She is also the author of My Beautiful Black Hair, featured this summer in Washingtonian. Earlier in the month, Detrick Jules met up Lisa Pegram, the former creative writing teacher at Latin. Pegrem, who helped advise her on publicity for her book. Pegram’s poetry manuscript, “White Flag,” was published in 2015 and she is an adjunct professor at the Lesley University creative writing MFA program.

Senior Camsey Noonan earned the prestigious POSSE full-tuition scholarship to Lafayette College. Camsey has been active in the school arts community, sharing her music and poetry through the choice and the Hook open mic events. Previous scholarship winners of the POSSE from Latin include Helena Ikenberry and Ishmael Cabading (Class of 2021), Nathan Cobbs and DJ Okuleye (2019), Isaiah Smith (2018) Serena Jones and Alex Hagan (2017), Conor Moore (2016), Olivia Boyd and Maddie Galvez (2015), Desmond Miller (2013), and Fariss Nabih and Anaka Osborne (2012). The POSSE scholarship is offered by 63 colleges and universities that choose one or more major U.S. cities to affiliate themselves and, through an extensive interview process, award full-tuition scholarships to 10-11 students to attend their institution. The six schools affiliated with Washington, D.C. are Bucknell (PA), Lafayette College (PA), Lewis & Clark College (OR), University of the South-Sewanee (TN), University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of Rochester (NY).  You can find more information at www.possefoundation.org.

Tuesday, December 14th was Instant Decision Day for Seniors. Several colleges, including Clark Atlanta University, Winston-Salem University, and Livingstone College joined Washington, Latin on Zoom to meet with seniors virtually, assess their transcripts and essays, and interview students. Students were offered same-day admission based on student achievement. So exciting to start the year with several admissions under their belts. College, here we come!

Sixth graders in Mr. Staten’s class will have a Renaissance Faire next Monday to engage deeply with the concepts they have learned about life in Europe from 800 to 1500.  Students have studied the Magna Carta, the scientific revolutionary thinkers including Copernicus, Galileo, and Tycho Brahe. The challenge to Aristotle through science and its impact on the rethinking of government in the age of Enlightenment.  The faire will include costumes, food, games, interactive activities based on the middle ages and the renaissance. Virtual reality tour of a castle, the British countryside, making heralds, playing medieval chess.