School Notes by Susan Braun Johnson

SCHOOL NOTES

by Susan Braun Johnson

Van Ness

The Van Ness Elementary School DC Scores team was honored to participate in the annual Congressional Soccer Match at Audi Field. Team members were invited to escort congresspeople onto the pitch to start things off with a splash. Go Otters! Van Ness, 1150 5th St SE; www.vannesselementary.org.

School Within School

On May 22, School Within School’s Girls on the Run (GOTR) team participated in the GOTR-DC 5K at Anacostia Park along with 50 other DC school and community teams. The GOTR program is for 3rd-5th grade girls and combines physical activity with dynamic discussions in each lesson to help build physical, social, and emotional skills in each kid while encouraging healthy habits for life. The SWS team consists of 20 kids and four coaches who have been practicing since mid-March 2022. For more info about GOTR go to gotrdc.org School Within School, 920 F St NE (current temporary location at 810 26th St NE). schoolwithinschool.org.

Capitol Hill Day School

CHDS fifth-graders are studying poetry in Humanities as part of a unit that asks: how should a community care for its environment? In addition to studying the environmental justice movement, students also explored how people capture their relationship with the environment through stories, poetry, and song. Last month, students took a field trip to Planet Word where they did a workshop on the sound of poetry and got to explore the gallery. Capitol Hill Day School, 210 South Carolina Ave, SE; www.chds.org.

Northeast Stars Montessori

NES students have been learning about geometric solids. During circle time, a cone and a cube were presented. Each shape was named. The children also named things that have the same shape such as traffic cones, ice cream cones, ice cubes, and blocks. Northeast Stars Montessori Preschool, 1325 Maryland Ave NE; nestars.net.

Payne Elementary

Payne Elementary Wildcats are wrapping up the school year with celebrations and performances. At the Spring Carnival on May 21, kids enjoyed a water slide, dunk tank, carnival games, and a magician. The boy’s and girl’s basketball teams were joined by some parents and staff at Eliot Hine’s Basketball Fever and had a great time! The Girls on the Run team completed a 5K at Anacostia Park, and the Saturday Arts Academy Showcase in June will have performances in piano, violin, guitar, drums, ballet, Tae Kwon Do, and more. Every grade is getting outside and learning about the Chesapeake Bay watershed through field trips funded through the Chesapeake Bay Trust. Payne, 1445 C St. SE; www.paynedc.org.

Maury

Bike to School Day is an eagerly anticipated event at Maury Elementary. Most students live within a few blocks of the kickoff location, Lincoln Park, and the school is just a short ride away. Families braved a light drizzle to arrive early and enjoy the speeches, warmups, treats, and tunes from the Eastern High School Band. Maury ES, 1250 Constitution Ave. NE, mauryelementary.com.

Waterfront Academy

Eastern High School

The Primary Class presented a few songs, some in Spanish and English. The Elementary classes presented a mimed play using gestures and instrumental music to tell a story of forgiveness. Individual students also had mini presentations like performing a song on the piano, a Japanese soliloquy and a stand-up comedy routine. Waterfront Academy, 222 M St. Eastern’s National Honors Society seniors passed the literal SW, www.waterfrontacademy.org torch to the new NHS inductees. Demiyah Brown, Eastern’s Chapter Student Chair, enumerated the many service projects they had completed, and invited the new members to continue the tradition of leadership, academic integrity, and giving back to the community. Inductees are Christian Barahas, Alonee Boose, Nasim Brawley, Jarius Cain, Canon Cole, Skyler Elsner, Vernell Garvin, My-Starshia Glascoe-Newton, Lauren Handon, Ariel Hinson, Cydney Hudson, Maya Miller, Mahanna MooreDargbeh, and Kendall Rawls-Newton. Eastern Senior HS, 1700 East Capitol St, NE; easternhighschooldc.org, and follow @EasternHS, @ Eastern_PTO, and FB: easternhighschool. Photo: William E. Jenkins.

J.O. Wilson

The J.O. Wilson preschoolers are tackling a global plastic waste crisis. They decided to stuff tennis ball cans full of flimsy plastic and make something beautiful and useful—a bench on Sherwood Rec Center Tennis Courts. After June 4, check out the installation and read the J.O Wilson book. J.O. Wilson Elementary School, 660 K St. NE; www.jowilsondcps.org.

Friends Community School

Each year the entire sixth grade class puts on a musical. It is a yearlong project that involves multiple disciplines and a great deal of stepping outside of comfort zones. This May students performed School of Rock and they rehearsed and performed the whole show outdoors. They sang, danced, and played all the instruments in the band! Friends Community School,5901 Westchester Park Drive, College Park, MD; www.friendscommunityschool.org.

Templeton Academy

Chemistry students at Templeton Academy ditched their desks and headed to the US Botanic Garden to learn about the chemistry of medicinal plants. While there, they also got a chance to plant some flowers in the Children’s Garden. These authentic, hands-on learning opportunities are a core component of the school’s educational model. Register online to attend their next virtual open house to learn more about the school. Templeton Academy, 406 7th St NW. www.templetonacademy.org/dc