S chool N otes

by Susan Braun Johnson

Northeast Stars

NES students were introduced to the letter sound “B” and the Mystery Box! The children studied words with the letter sound “B,” such as “banana, boat, bob, and ball.” For young children the tactile exploration of objects in the environment is of most importance. The Mystery Box contained sounds of the letter ‘B” and provided a wide range of tactile experiences from basic-shape recognition to fine-size and shape discrimination. The students used their stereognostic sense to guess what item they were touching without seeing it. The children learn to identify objects through the isolation of the sense of touch without sight. Northeast Stars, 1325 Maryland Ave NE; nestars.net.

for Sasha Bruce Youthworks. Sasha Bruce is a local organization that provides support and services to DC’s young people experiencing homelessness. The care kits included toiletries, first aid supplies, winter gear, students’ handmade notes, and water bottles. SWS, 920 F St NE; schoolwithinschool.org.

Capitol Hill Cluster – Watkins

For the 19th year, students from Watkins Elementary School honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by reading his most famous speech. Watkins Elementary, 420 12th St SE; capitolhillclusterschool.org

– Stuart-Hobson Middle School

In December, the Stuart-Hobson Middle School Drama Players performed The Lion King, Jr with cameos from other Capitol Hill community school students. Stuart-Hobson, 410 E St NE; stuart-hobson.org

Maury Elementary

Students in Pre-K 3/4 are exploring the wonders of architecture, under the direction of Think Tank teacher Stephanie Comment. Her inspiration: the book “Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building” by Christy Hale, with photos illustrating how “young children’s constructions, created as they play, are reflected in notable works of architecture from around the world.” In class, students are experimenting with Legos, cups, wooden blocks, and shape blocks. They’re also encouraged to build at home with couch cushions, cardboard, popsicle sticks, etc. Maury ES, 1250 Constitution Ave. NE; mauryelementary.com.

Waterfront Academy

In December, Waterfront Academy students held a Christmas pageant. This year, they decided to do all the carols in Spanish! Typically, half are in English and half in Spanish. Parents created a traditional Posada feast with Mexican hot chocolate, guacamole and taquitos too! Waterfront Academy, 222 M St. SW, waterfrontacademy.org

Van Ness

The Van Ness Elementary School Otters gathered for the school’s first Winter Concert since 2019. All grades sang different holiday songs in turn, and the whole school came

School Within School

SWS held its second annual Family Day of Service and Community on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The 240 volunteers engaged in discussions grounding us in Dr. King’s principles of economic justice and social responsibility before they assembled 200 care kits together to sing—both vocally and through sign language—“Tiny Lights.” There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Van Ness Elementary, 1150 5th St SE; vannesselementary.org

DC Prep

DC Prep is proud to be one of the oldest and largest high-performing public charter school networks in the nation’s capital celebrating 20 years of excellence! Home to two National Blue Ribbon Schools and recognized globally as a Cognia School of Distinction, DC Prep is an award winning, college prep program with a focus on strong social emotional curriculum, serving students in PK3-8th grade. Now accepting applications for SY23-24! Visit www.dcprep.org for info. DC Prep Home Office, 2330 Pomeroy Road, SE. For all six campus addresses, please visit dcprep.org.

Templeton

Templeton Academy DC students were selected as winners of NASA’s TechRise Student Challenge and will fly a payload on a suborbital flight. As one of the 60 winning TechRise teams, NASA is supporting the development and demonstration of the payload, including the test flight on the Aerostar vehicle this summer. Templeton Academy, 406 7th St. NW; templetonacademy.org.

Payne Elementary

This winter, the Wildcats are enjoying all of their extracurricular activities. Students have been active on their boys’ and girls’ basketball teams, cheerleading squad, book clubs, Disney Imagineering Club, Student Government, Art Club, and more! Most recently, the students competed in the Scripps Spelling Bee, and the winners are looking forward to attending the cluster Spelling Bee in February. Payne, 1445 C St SE, www.paynedc.org

Eastern High

On December 3rd, Eastern hosted its first regional Esports invitational. Attendees competed for prizes, learned about careers in Esports, met with college recruiters and connected with local organizations. The event broke all attendance expectations with over 90 kids from 16 high schools attending. Eastern has one of the premier High School Esports teams on the east coast and made the state or regional in 7 of 8 titles/

Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts

Introducing the new Richard Wright PCS Ambassadors who were recently inducted. Students who demonstrate strong leadership skills and responsibility become school Ambassadors, as indicated by the green R on their shirts. Ambassadors also do great things in the community because of their service and dedication! A good leader must learn to serve.

Richard Wright PCS, 475 School St, SW. richardwrightpcs.org u