Upper school students competed in the Poetry Out Loud competition, sharing memorized poems to teacher judges. The winner, sophomore Shayla Greux, will participate in the citywide competition on March 12th. Second place went to freshman JD Miller. Since 2005, more than four million students have participated in Poetry out Loud competitions. 

Eighth graders at Second Street took a field trip to the African American History and Culture Museum with their teachers on Wednesday. The trip allowed students to connect their seventh and eighth grade readings, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, March by John Lewis, poetry by Langston Hughes, and the memoirs of Jackie Robinson and Frederick Douglass and look for other historical events that connected to quotes or imagery from their readings. In advisory, students watched the documentary “Soundtrack For a Revolution,” which focuses on the Civil Rights movement in America in the 1950s and 1960s, including first person testimonies from activists about their experiences in Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma, Alabama’ Philadelphia, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee. Sixth graders at Cooper Campus also visited the museum earlier in the year. 

Ten Upper School wrestlers from the Washington Latin Upper School team attended the DC State meet, and nabbed a first place finish. The team finished with 156 points, beating Jackson-Reed by 23 points . All ten students were in the top three. The team coached by Mr. Torrence, earned a trophy for the case and sweatshirts with the DC State Champion Wrestling emblem. Senior Zemen Sium scored a first place pin along with freshmen Jackson Trinca and Preston Olander.  Preston has been wrestling since he was four, and he and Zemen practice together. Read the Washington Latin article about the team here. 

Upper Schoolers at Second Street celebrated Wednesday with a wide variety of outings for Wellness Wednesday, including a ski trip organized by English teacher Mr. Sheehan and math teacher Mr. Richardson. Sheehan is a certified ski coach. Middle schoolers at Second Street also took part in activities to promote mental and physical wellness, including coloring, reading, Haikus, playing with teachers’ dogs, Uno tournaments, basketball, jujitsu and other self-defense, running, and comedy hour.

Upper school Humanities II classes viewed “Bars and Measures,” at the Mosaic Theater Company. This is part of the class’s beauty and jazz unit, connected to the readings of short stories by Ralph Ellison. The class is taught by Mr. Clausen and Ms. Feist. The play is about Eric, a classical pianist, and Bilal, a jazz musician, brothers by blood, united through a love of music but separated by prison bars. Bilal’s trial exposes long-standing secrets within the family. The play was written by playwright and breakbeat poet Idris Goodwin.