5 minute read
School Notes by Susan Braun Johnson
SCHOOL NOTES
by Susan Braun Johnson
Northeast Stars
NES Summer Camp students are having great fun learning about plants and developing scientific observation and prediction skills! One of the experiments included germinating seeds. The students will observe the beans sprouting and eventually will transfer the beans to small pots of soil.
Northeast Stars Montessori Preschools, 1325 Maryland Ave NE; nestars.net.
Payne Elementary
Hundreds of parents and students gathered for the Payne Saturday Arts Academy spring showcase on June 4 with performances in violin, guitar, piano, drums, Tae Kwon Do, ballet, yoga, and preschool circle time music. Culinary arts students hosted a reception, and robotics and basketball students demonstrated what they’ve learned this spring. Every Saturday, 172 students from Payne and other Capitol Hill schools take up to three classes as part of the ambitious and unique extracurricular program that lets kids have fun while helping them make academic gains. The Payne Saturday Arts Academy is bringing affordable, accessible music and arts education to the Capitol Hill community. Classes will start up again in September, and registration will begin over the summer.
Payne, 1445 C St. SE; www.paynedc.org.
Van Ness Elementary
Prekindergarten students from Van Ness Elementary School welcomed the warm weather with a “splash day” on the oval. Children donned their swimsuits to enjoy the pools, water balloons, bubbles, and other activities in the sun. Van Ness, 1150 5th St SE; www.vannesselementary.org
Maury Elementary
On June10, Maury Elementary held its first MARCH for the MIND, a rally in support of mental health awareness. Students and teachers have been having age-appropriate conversations on this topic -how to identify someone who may be suffering, and whom to ask for help -but recent tragedies left them wanting to do more. So, they created signs to express their thoughts and feelings and carried them around the block, publicly sharing their desire for a more optimistic and safer future.
Maury ES, 1250 Constitution Ave. NE, mauryelementary.com.
Friends Community School
Friends Community School eighth-graders ended the year with beloved traditions in June. The whole school lined up to usher them into their next adventure with a tunnel that every graduate runs through to cheers and affirmation. Graduation took place outdoors in front of the school and each eighth-grade student shared a personal “offering” in the form of words, songs, art, and reflection.
Friends Community School, 5901 Westchester Park Drive, College Park, MD; www.friendscommunityschool.org.
Have you applied to Pre-K yet? Open to ages 3 and 4 FREE for all DC residents.
Introducing a free, new, safe and secure preschool option for all DC families. Apply today for Pride Pre-Kindergarten, presented by Perry Street Prep - a Tier 1 K-8 public charter school in the heart of Northeast. No income restrictions - minimum or maximum.
PROGRAM BENEFITS:
• Full day, full week 12-month program • Includes meals and before or aftercare • Small Class Sizes with 1:9 Ratio • Outdoor Learning Space • Music, Art, Field Trips, Spanish and more!
Register today on MySchoolDC.org or email Mrs. McCaskill (dmccaskill@pspdc.org)
• Apply online at myschooldc.org - limited seats available • Now enrolling all students in PK-8th grade • Tuition-free; before care and afterschool care offered 6:30am - 6:00pm
Give your cub the best in early childhood education - apply to Pride Pre-K today!
Capitol Hill Day School
As a final project in Capitol Hill Day School’s seventh and eighth-grade Sculpture class, students envisioned and organized a collection of handprints from students all across the school. Buddies got together to decorate and cut out paper hands, and the students worked together to install it. This installation is viable from the Rose Window in the center of the main Capitol Hill Day School building.
Capitol Hill Day School, 210 South Carolina Ave, SE; www.chds.org
Miner Elementary
On Thursday, June 2, Miner Elementary hosted STEAM Night with fun activities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. Students could earn “money” during an age-appropriate economics lesson, practice their coding skills with Beebots, win fun prizes by showing off their math skills, and more. The teachers and staff put on an amazing night to remember for students of all grade levels.
Miner, 601 15th St. NE; minerelementary.org
Eastern Senior High Eastern eSports Students Launched!
Headed up by Eastern teacher Mr. James, Eastern’s eSports league made the playoffs in 5 games! They finished #1 in DC in Rocket League and Madden and #2 in Overwatch. Their #1 Smash player won the Grand Championship at ShenU eSports Spinandoah. They’re sending students to college to play eSports and received $22k in scholarship offers. This summer they’re launch- Photo: Matt James. ing a jobs program where eSports athletes put together 10 state-of-the-art PC builds, supervised by coaches and community tech experts.
Eastern Senior HS, 1700 East Capitol St, NE; easternhighschooldc.org.
Waterfront Academy
Waterfront Academy had a very busy end of the year! The school held their annual jog-athon, with proceeds benefiting school fundraising. Last week, the school held their Moving Up Ceremony, where students graduated to the next level of their education. Each class performed a song and the theme of the night was “gratitude.” President Melissa Rohan gave her President’s Address and early adolescent student Henry served as a representative of the class with a speech.
“I am very proud to be moving up from the early adolescent classroom—I started as a 3rd year in the Primary classroom,” Henry said. “That was a great year. I met Nicky and my sister Penelope was also in the class with me which was really nice too. I think that is when I started learning independence and leadership. It’s also when I started learning more Spanish than “Dora the Explorer” was teaching!
Waterfront Academy, 222 M St. SW; www.waterfrontacademy.org
Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts
The eighth-grade class ventured to Southwest Duck Pound to capture the essence of nature in the form of film, photography, and writing.
Richard Wright, 475 School St, SW; www.richardwrightpcs.org.
