Upper school students in Ms. Foley’s English class worked with  Poetry Out Loud teaching artist Regie Cabico to help prepare them for their poetry recitations. He taught them warm-ups, invited students to perform poems, and helped share performance critiques with the students. Next week students will be participating in their classroom Poetry Out Loud recitations The winners will compete for the schoolwide title, and proceed to the citywide competition. They have memorized poems for recitation, working on diction, emotion, pacing, and expression. Several teachers and administrators will participate in the judging, showcasing our school’s reverence for the spoken word.

The school’s Environmental Club was featured in “Sprout It Out” a monthly newsletter for the city’s garden programs published by the State Superintendent of Education. The Environmental Club, which is advised by Mr. Torrence, helps to maintain the school’s hydroponic tower gardens and monitors the pH of the indoor towers, helping to harvest the greens the school grows.  The club is also working to replace paper towels in the science and art classes with reusable towers and beautifying the grounds.

The Indoor Track and Field Team ended the season at the DCSAA Championships. Senior Luke Tewalt won the 3200m, 1600m, and 800m races, and set a new record for the city in the 1600m. He was named the meet Most Valuable Player, the first male winner of the MVP award for our school.  The girls’ 4X200 team of senior Cecily Bufkin, sophomore Ezinne Ukaegbu, freshman Isabel Charles, and sophomore Ife Akinsanya were named All-State.  The boys 4X800m relay took 3rd place, featuring a team of senior Oliver Spiva, sophomore Casey Montrey, junior Robbie Mirabello, and senior Luke Tewalt. Spiva finished 2nd overall in the 1600m race, earning his personal best time for the indoor season.