kidsfamily school notes
school notes
Compiled by Susan Braun Johnson
ters inquiring about life at the seminary and the adopted seminarians
visited the classes during the school
year. –Sally Aman. St. Peter School,
422 Third St., SE. 202-544-1618,
www.stpeterschooldc.org
Tyler Elementary News
On Your Mark, Get Set,
Plant at Tyler
Capitol Hill’s gardening season
is in full swing-and Tyler’s after-care
students are getting in on the action.
Under the guidance of Shawn Eubank, co-founder of the sustainable
Rocklands Farm in Poolesville, MD,
students are planting, maintaining
and harvesting their own gardengrown salad.
Shawn uses agriculture as an educational tool to help students identify
with their food as they care for their
own edible garden. The gardens are
located in Tyler’s sprawling Outdoor
Classroom and are funded by a grant
from the Alliance for a Healthier
Generation.
By caring for their plants, students are learning about basic plant
biology and where their food comes
from -- but they’re also getting quite
a workout. All that bending, digging
and carrying watering cans equals
some great outdoor exercise!
Amidon-Bowen News
Amidon-Bowen Friday Night
Activities Bring Parents, Students
And Staff Together
St. Peter School Shakespeare club following Folger performance. Credit: Dana Eichhorst
During April and early May the
students have been busy planting arugula, nasturtiums, and Bibb lettuce.
But the payoff comes in June during
Salad Day, as all the after-school students get to eat the fruits of their gardening labors. - Ryan Cree and Suzanne Wells, http://tylerelementary.
net, 1001 G St, SE, 202-939-4810.
lia Herdic, Aisling McNary Hickey,
Quin Howe, Ethan Johnson, Kiowa
Knight, David McCallum, Isabel
Morris, Madisson Parker, Sally Harris Porter, Katie Quinn, Annie Ryan,
Annie Schillo, Yazmin Washington
and faculty directors Lea Marmora
and Dana Eichhorst.
Spiritual Growth at St. Peter School
News from St. Peter School
Much Ado About Nothing
Shawn Eubank working with Tyler students to
plant edible salad garden.
110 ★ HillRag | June 2011
St. Peter School Shakespeare
Club, founded in 2001, once again
hit the Folger Theater stage. After
auditioning for roles, the 5th and 6th
grade club members met after school
for nine weeks to rehearse a Shakespearean scene in preparation for the
club’s eighth appearance at the Folger Children’s Shakespeare Festival.
The cast performed a scene from
Much Ado About Nothing. Hats off
to thespians Semhal Abebe, Amelia Ceballos, Keyona Curry, Tierra
Curseen, Maggie Drelichman, Ce-
Spring is a busy month for blessed
sacraments at St. Peter School.
Eighth-graders participated in the
Mass of Confirmation and 36 second graders from across Capitol Hill
celebrated their First Holy Communion at St. Peter’s Church. Hundreds
of friends and family attended the
Masses to witness the children receive their sacraments. Meanwhile,
the 5th and 6th grade classes have
been participating in a new program
called “Adopt a Seminarian.” Each
grade has been matched up with a
seminarian from the Archdiocese
of Washington to adopt spiritually
through prayer. The classes sent let-
Family Game Night on April
29th began a series of “get-togethers” designed to bring parents, staff
and students together to have a great
time, as well as raise funds for the
school. Tables were filled with all the
family favorites from Chutes & Ladders, Scrabble, Twister, Dominos and
more and snacks were sold.
On May 6th students celebrated Mother’s Day with “Bring Your
Mother to School Day”. At an assembly that morning, students honored
their Mothers with poems, and expressions of their feelings. They sang
a song “We Love You Mother,” words
specially written for the occasion by
Para Perry, Vocal Music Teacher.
Later in May students enjoyed
Movie Night at the school. Everyone
settled down with popcorn to watch
the popular, “Tangled.” This was the
last Friday Night fund raising activity for this year. The funds that were
raised from the nominal admissions
and food costs will be used for the
traditional school-wide activity day
in June and for student trips. Graduation for 5th graders will be held June
10th. The Pre-K Graduation date has
not been confirmed. - Meg Brinckman. Amidon-Bowen ES, 401 Eye
St. SW, 202-724-4867.
Tamika Carrington and Jasmyne; Christina
Weir with Zara and Lamont at “Bring your
Mom to School Day.”
Capitol Hill Cluster School
News
Peabody’s Kindergarteners
Perform On Stage
Peabody’s Kindergarteners performed on stage at Stuart-Hobson
on May 6th for The Story of Food
End of Year Performance and CD
Release Party. These amazing young
students delighted the audience with
songs about healthy food, many of
which they wrote themselves. CDs
featuring these young artists are
available for purchase at Peabody.
For the past school year through The
Story of Food: Growing Healthy
Readers program, Peabody students
engaged in a variety of hands-on
and literacy-based activities about
the sources of our food, the joys of
growing our own food, and the benefits of fresh produce in our diets.
Stuart-Hobson Students Present at
National Building Museum
During the spring 2011 semester, 15 students from Stuart-Hobson
Middle School learned how to become active participants in shaping
their communities through CityVision a National Building Museum
education program. In collaboration
with volunteers from the D.C. Office of Planning, and with the help
of professionals from the D.C. metro
area, the students conducted extensive fieldwork to identify needs and
propose creative solutions to address
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capitalcommunitynews.com ★ 111
kidsfamily school notes
Scouting is to teach girls about discovering their world, connecting with
other girls and taking action to complete goals that are important to them.
If you would like your daughter to be a
part of the SY 2011-12 Maury Troop
#6498 or for information about volunteering please email beth_dougherty@
yahoo.com. (For Maury’s Cub Scouts,
maury_cubs@yahoo.com.)
Hard Hats!
Peabody’s kindergarteners delight their audience with songs about healthy food.
those needs for the neighborhoods of
Brookland, Fort Totten, and NoMa.
They designed plans including architectural drawings and models to create active community gathering spots
in those growing neighborhoods. On
May 13th they presented their work
to the public at the National Building Museum and defended it before a
panel of professionals.
Watkins’ Teacher Receives
Prestigious Presidential Award
Watkins’ 2nd grade teacher Mrs.
Lauren Tate received the prestigious
Presidential Award for Excellence in
Mathematics and Science Teaching.
The award is the Nation’s highest honor for teachers of mathematics and science. Ms. Tate, along with 84 selected
teachers across the country, was honored at the White House during the
week of May 16th – 20th. Congratulations Mrs. Tate! - Molly Dewsnap
Meinhardt and Julie Somers, Capitol
Hill Cluster School; www.capitolhillclusterschool.org (Campuses: Peabody
Early Childhood Center and School
Within a School, 425 C St. NE; Watkins Elementary and Montessori, 420
12th St. SE; Stuart-Hobson Middle
School, 410 E St. NE)
winner for narrative and illustrations.
Older students heard Lupe Vargas
and her Super Best Friend by Amy
Costales. After being read to, students
did a fun activity, then selected a book
to keep. Popular choices included
Ronald Dahl books, Knufflebunny,
National Geographic Mummies, and
the ever-popular Captain Underpants!
“While they already have access to all
of the books in our school library, it’s
also so important for every child to
have books of their own at home. Our
partnership with RIF makes that a reality for every Maury student and for
students at other schools across DC.”
Girl Scouts at Maury
Maury’s budding Girls Scout
troop held their Candle Lighting
Ceremony on April 28. Each girl read
a special paragraph that expounded on
the Girls Scout Pledge and the Girl
Scout Law, and then lit a candle before a mirror, reflecting upon what
they had learned in a respectful and
thoughtful ceremony. The goal of
Maury Elementary News
Reading is Fundamental (RIF)
Provides Books & More
Maury’s librarian, Kate Sweeney,
sits on the DC Initiative advisory committee of Reading is Fundamental, a
national non-profit literacy program,
partnered with DC Public Schools.
The younger students listened to The
Bossy Gallito, a bilingual 1996 Belpre
112 ★ HillRag | June 2011
Maury parent Allison Brandt reading to the third
grade.
Maury is getting an extreme makeover, school edition! As soon as classes
are out on June 17, the demolition begins. Now that there are new windows,
they’ll really be able to see what they’re
doing while they make the entrance
grand, modernize our classrooms, and
escort the heating and cooling system
into this century. Come by at the start
of school to check out the huge transformation! -Heather Schoell. Maury
Elementary, 1250 Constitution Ave.
NE. mauryelementary.com.
Two Rivers PCS News
Students Continue Their
“Green”Ing Efforts
In April, middle-school and elementary school students along with
parent volunteers and staff joined Premier Plantscapes to create an outdoor
learning “green roof ” by planting various types of flowers and grasses on the
Middle School roof located at 1234
4th Street NE.
Two Rivers is an Expeditionary
Learning school, which means students learn through hands-on, project-based learning. This event provides
an opportunity for students to create
an outdoor learning area, use progressive, space-age materials as well as soil
to plant, and learn how this green roof
can help improve their environment.
This first round of plantings will
be done using a material called Aqualok which is a revolutionary sustainable hydration system that allows you
to grow healthy plants with less water
and fertilizer. Aqualok is a foam substance that was originally developed
by an aerospace engineer to stabilize
jet fuel in the wings of F-16 fighter
jets. As a liner, just two inches of the
material holds the same amount of
air and water as two feet of soil. It
also releases the air and water consistently over time. The Aqualok system
provides both a green roof growing
medium but also the facility to capture storm water runoff which would
flow into the Anacostia. In addition,
there will be some traditional planting
beds to augment the students’ learning
about urban gardening and the importance of maintaining green spaces
in urban settings. This project comes
one month after Two Rivers Public
Charter School partnered with Casey
Trees to plant six trees along 4th St.
NE. www.tworiverspcs.org
Ludlow-Taylor News
Let’s Celebrate Teachers and All
That They Do
Ludlow-Taylor has a long list of
things to celebrate and the teachers
are at the very top of that list. Ludlow-Taylor teachers are the greatest
and they truly care about each and every child. Classrooms come alive not
only because of the Arts Integration
program but mostly because of the
HEART that each teacher brings to
what they do each day.
On May 3rd teachers opened up
their classrooms to parents for a school
wide Open House giving parents,
preschool–grade 5, an opportunity to
dispel the mysteries of the next school
year. Parents got to see the great work
going on in classrooms, Reggio Emilia
thriving, and Arts Integration in action.
It was truly a day full of celebration
and sharing good news with parents
and community. After Open House
came a ribbon cutting event followed
by the naming and dedication of the
Multipurpose Room to honor our beloved parent and retired staff member,
Rosa Simon.
Student ambassadors guided everyone through the day. They led guests on
tours and guided them to their destinations. Our ambassadors were also on
hand to demonstrate in the beautiful
new Courtyard Classroom following
an official Ribbon Cutting.
Tears were abundant as students
sung their hearts out to Ms. Rosa Simon. The dedication event was graced
with a speech from Commissioner
Ludlow-Taylor students gardening in the
courtyard.
Tom Hamilton and a serenade
of “You Are So Beautiful” by Mr.
Pierre.
To top off a wonderful day,
Ludlow-Taylor’s
renowned
baseball team won their first
home game, 10 -8! Go Academic Warriors! Go Ludlow-Taylor
teachers! You Rock! –by Carolyn
Cobbs, Principal.
Brent Elementary News
On May 5, 4th grader Cecilia Timberg was honored by the
Junior League of Washington
for her poetic talents. Cecilia
competed against hundreds of
other young poets in the citywide contest and took first place
in the 4th grade division.
Brent families participated at
Rock Creek Park in the International Migratory Bird Day festival, featuring live birds of prey,
bird banding demonstrations,
and bird watching. Students also
had a chance to participate with
students from other area schools
in a Wood Thrush Chorus.
Recently grades 1-5 participated in a school-wide Sci-
Brent’s Cecilia Timberg won first place in the
Junior League’s citywide poetry contest
capitalcommunitynews.com ★ 113
ence Fair and invention convention. The older
students conducted research and experiments
and presented their results on tri-fold boards.
The 1st and 2nd graders built models of their
inventions and wrote persuasive brochures
“selling” their new inventions. Brent is very
fortunate to have a dedicated and enthusiastic
Science teacher and Science Lab!
Join the Brent community on the Brent
playground on June 5 for a community pig
roast from 1- 6:30 p.m. In partnership with
local restaurant Sonoma and adopted chef
Mike Bonk, it will be a fun-filled afternoon for
kids of all ages. Tickets are $35 for adults and
$10 for children 6 and over and must be purchased in advance. Log on to www.sonomajune5.eventbrite.com to reserve tickets. - E.V.
Downey. Brent 301 North Carolina Ave, SE.
202-698-3363. www.brentelementary.org
Think Globally, Shop Locally.
J.O. Wilson Elementary News
Award Winners and Spring Celebrations
Congratulations to Principal Cheryl Warley on her selection as one of the 2011 recipients of the Washington Post Distinguished
Educational Leadership Award. The school
community and partners celebrate Ms. Warley
for creating a supportive and challenging environment where students and staff strive for
excellence.
Cheers to J. O. Wilson’s 4th and 5th graders for participation in the GeoPlunge geography tournament. J. O. Wilson has been competing in the city-wide GeoPlunge contest
for the past six years, with first place finishes
from 2006-2009. While the school’s two teams
came in second and ninth at this year’s event,
the first place winners were former J.O. Wilson students, now currently attending StuartHobson Middle School.
Bravo to the 2011 National French Competition Winners! In keeping with their longstanding tradition, 16 students ranked as National Winners taking 2nd through 9th places
in the nationwide French language competition. -Samantha Caruth. 660 K St. NE, www.
dcps.dc.gov/jowilson, 202-698-4733.
Capitol Hill Day School News
St. Anselm’s Students
www.capitalcommunitynews.com
St. Anselm’s Abby School
2011 Summer Programs: June 6-August 5
The learning and fun continues through
the summer at St. Anselm’s Abbey School in
NE Washington. Every summer the campus
hosts a wide variety of day programs for St.
Anselm’s students and the larger Washington
community. These classes range from the academic to the athletic to the artistic, covering
subjects as diverse as Latin, martial arts, basketball and yoga. Academic programs, suitable
for middle and high school students, begin
June 20, and run for six weeks, through July 29.
Some classes are shorter than six weeks and/or
can accommodate a shorter registration. Options include English, Latin, Algebra, Engineering, and Study Skills. Athletic programs
are open to kids ages 6 – 17 and begin June
6. Sports include basketball, karate, lacrosse,
soccer, and tennis. Aftercare is available for an
additional charge. While St. Anselm’s is an allboy school, the summer programs are open to
both genders. For more information on summer programs or enrollment, please see www.
saintanselms.org. - by E.V. Downey, St. Anselm’s
Abbey School, 4501 S Dakota Avenue, NE, 202269-2379, admissions@saintanselms.org
114 ★ HillRag | June 2011
CHDS Is On The Move!
Construction crews are moving in and
CHDS is moving out until the dust settles! At
the end of June, the century old Dent building – home to Capitol Hill Day School since
1980 – will undergo an extensive renovation.
In January 2012, the school community will
enjoy a new reception foyer, an elevator, upgraded classrooms, flexible gathering space, a
shared lobby for all early childhood students,
a modern science lab, and a larger music room
with upgraded acoustics. The final phase of significant IT improvements will be completed,
as well as several safety and facility upgrades.
During this transformation, the rich and
lively CHDS program will go on as usual in
modular classrooms just down the road at 5th
and K Streets, SE. Their unique field education program will continue to connect students
with the larger world with daily excursions;
each year, students participate in over 300 field
trips.
CHDS Summer Camp will be in full swing
at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, at 3rd and A
Streets, SE. Many camp sessions are full, but
some spaces are available for Juniors (grades 24) and Seniors (grades 5-8).
For families interested in applying for the
2012-2013 school year, small group tours of
the Dent building will be held until June 10, as
capitalcommunitynews.com ★ 115
well as in the temporary location this fall.
During the renovation, CHDS students and teachers will continue to explore, engage, and connect with
the world, bearing out the school’s philosophy that
learning happens everywhere! -Jane Angarola. janea@
chds.org; CHDS, 210 South Carolina Avenue, SE.
www.chds.org
Eagle Academy PCS News
Going Green with Councilmember Mary Cheh
GOT NEWS?
capitalcommunitynews.com
WANT TO SEE YOUR LOCAL
ORGANIZATION’S NEWS IN THE HILL RAG?
DC Councilmember Mary Cheh (D) Ward 3, recently visited Eagle Academy Public Charter School,
located in historic Barracks Row in Washington, DC.
Eagle Academy Public Charter School celebrated
Earth Day and the schools efforts in” Going Green”
with a “Planting Ahead: The Eagle Center.”
The “Planting Ahead: The Eagle Center” event
featured students from each grade level (Pre K3 –2nd
Eagle Academy, Plants Ahead.
grade) of Eagle Academy planting trees which at a later
date will be transferred and re-planted at the new LEED Silver (going for Gold) The Eagle
Center: An Integrated Community-Services School scheduled to open in Ward 8 in 2012.
At the event, students will also showcase their current school - located in the Blue Castle
across from the Washington Navy Yard – which has gone green: 100 per cent wind power, 100
per cent green cleaning products, all meals are organic and vegetables and fruits are locally
sourced, a recycling program, and science fairs focused on environmental stewardship.
During the visit Council Member Cheh was presented with a card signed by the students.
She toured the facilities including the sensory room, library, nurse’s office and classrooms.
Eagle Academy Public Charter School was founded in 2003, and is Washington DC’s first
early childhood public charter school educating children ages 3 years old through 2nd grade.
They will continue to expand to the 3rd grade in 2011. www.eagleacademypcs.org.
E-MAIL A BRIEF WRITE-UP AND A PHOTO TO:
bulletinboard@hillrag.com
Archbishop Carroll High School News
The 19th Annual Spring Benefit and Hall Of Honor Induction Ceremony
Now
g
Enrollin
s
e
d
a
r
G
6-12
“Exceptional Education for
Exceptional Students!”
•
•
•
•
5:1 Student to Adult Ratio
State-of-the-Art Computer Technology
Therapeutic Special Education Program
Vocational Program that offers
Culinary Arts, Cosmetology
• JROTC
• Outstanding Athletics
Call 202-547-1028 today!
to schedule an interview
and tour of the school.
1375 E Street NE
Washington DC 20002
www.optionsschool.org
116 ★ HillRag | June 2011
Philanthropy, inspired teaching, and spiritual leadership—these virtues and more will be
honored during the Archbishop Carroll High School 19th Annual Spring Benefit and Hall of
Honor Induction Ceremony on June 6 from 6 – 9 p.m. at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Rooftop Terrace Cafe. Tickets for the Spring Benefit are $100 each, with proceeds
benefiting the educational programs at Carroll. The evening will include a lavish buffet at the
Rooftop Terrace Restaurant and live entertainment by the Linwood Taylor Band featuring jazz
guitarist and Carroll graduate Linwood Taylor (’73). For tickets or sponsorships contact Cherryace Fields, 202-529-1193, cfields@archbishopcarroll.org.
Steve and Barbara Newby will be inducted into the Hall of Honor. The Newbys were introduced to Archbishop Carroll High School in 1991 through Carl Rowan’s Project Excellence.
Since then they have gone from funding scholarships for Carroll students through Project Excellence to direct funding of Carroll—including the donation of winnings from two of their
racing horses, “President Butler,” named for former Carroll President John Butler, and “Father
Mudd,” named for Fr. John Mudd, associate executive vice president for institutional advancement.
Dan “Skip” Tomaselli was already a legend in the memories of Carroll students who studied music under him or performed in one of the musicals produced during his ten years as
the school’s musical director in the ‘60s and ‘70s. In addition to the Hall of Honor inductions,
Bishop Martin D. Holley, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington since 2004, will be awarded the
Cardinal O’Boyle Medal, bestowed annually on an ordained, religious or lay minister who has
demonstrated vision, dedication and service to Christ’s young people. The Medal commemorated Patrick Cardinal O’Boyle, Archbishop Carroll High School’s visionary founder. www.
archbishopcarroll.org. ★