This year, first graders learned about holidays from all over the world. They used the essential elements of a holiday (date, reason, rituals, artifacts) to create their own holidays.

In enrichment, grade 1 studied ancient Egypt. Students mummified apples, made Nile riverboats, learned about hieroglyphics and papyrus, and created "mythical" animals.

The enrichment group studied the naturalistic works of architect Antoni Gaudi, to understand how buildings interact with their natural surroundings. They designed structures that co-exist in harmony with their chosen environments.

The fourth grade enrichment group explored connections between visual art, world history, and mathematics.

Students in grade 5 learned about the logistical challenges involved in travel overseas, whether it meant currency conversion, time zones, or booking flights and hotels. They also learned about planning sightseeing trips. To share their knowledge, they created travel brochures.

At Soldiers and Sailors Hall, fifth graders learned all about World War II and the men and women who sacrificed to help save democracy.

Enrichment students read about a Chinese immigrant’s search for what it means to be an American at the same time that Jackie Robinson was re-defining it. Bette Bao Lord’s In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson shows us the immigrant’s point of view in the new “Land of the Golden Mountain."

This year, grade 6 studied the fascinating world of radios in science and in art—how they function, and how they gave rise to thrilling sound-pictures that activate our imaginations.  The unit started with a trip to Bricolage Production Company, so that our students could experience acting and producing.  Toward the end of the year, students built working AM-FM radios.