Middle
February 26, 2021
Eighth-grade French Students Zoom with Students in Dubai
Eighth-graders in Jacky Kalubi’s French class recently had the opportunity to Zoom with eighth-grade French students attending The Millennium School in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Middle Schoolers came to school early to Zoom with the students due to the time difference. Kalubi said she is friends with The Millennium School’s principal, Ambika Gulati. “When I traveled to New Delhi in 2014 under Seven Hills’ sponsorship, Ambika’s family hosted me in their house for three weeks. I also spent a few days learning and teaching at the Sanskriti School in New Delhi, where she was the Middle School Head. We have kept in touch, and she reached out to see if we could foster some collaborative learning between our respective French students.” In preparation for the virtual encounter, Kalubi’s class researched Dubai and The Millennium School.
Seventh-grade History Students Discuss Civil Rights
Seventh-graders in Doug Huff’s history class are studying the Civil Rights movement during the 1960s. Students recently discussed Jim Crow-era laws, the practice of red lining, and the film “Selma,” which depicts the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March and the circumstances leading to the event. Students also discussed the film’s key figures, including the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., congressman John Lewis, and President Lyndon B. Johnson. “We also learned about the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments that were passed, continuing our journey on learning the amendments to the U.S. Constitution,” Huff said.
Students Celebrate Chinese New Year
Every year, seventh- and eighth-grade students in Mia Wu’s Chinese classes celebrate the Chinese New Year, a festival marking the beginning of the new year on the lunar calendar. In lieu of making dumplings, which students do during a normal school year, students learned holiday traditions and decorated the classroom. Students also worked in groups to prepare a Chinese New Year-related video to share with other classes. Wu often teaches students about Chinese culture when teaching the language. “Students understand and appreciate another culture, develop cultural sympathy, and get ready to be global citizens,” Wu said.
Seventh-graders Construct Earthquake-resistant Towers
As part of their earth history unit, seventh-graders in Kristin Suer’s science class constructed earthquake-resistant towers and put them to the test. After an engineering lesson and reading about seismic waves, students were given a scenario in which they had to build a new university art building located along the San Andreas Fault. The tower’s materials included straws and dowel rods, serving as beams, and cardboard and lasagna, which represented flooring. Students had to keep the towers’ costs within a budget. “After strapping the live loads (represented by beanbag animals) to their two-story towers, their towers experienced all the waves of an earthquake on the shake table,” Suer said. “Students ultimately had to decide whether a cheaper tower with less weight would be more successful than a more expensive tower with heavier reinforcements.” Seventh-graders recorded a video of their towers on the shake table and wrote down their reflections about their projects.
Eighth-graders Present Exponents Project
Eighth-graders in Kristina O’Connor’s algebra class recently presented their Exponents in Real Life projects. After studying and working on exponent rules, O’Connor wanted to merge students’ knowledge with real-world applications. “They connected their understanding to real life situations such as writing binary code that is used in computer programing, illustrating exponential growth of bacteria, and using scientific notation to illustrate the distance the Perseverance rover traveled to get to Mars!” O’Connor said.
at Seven Hills?
Five Stingers Sign to Play in College
Five Stingers from the Class of 2024 signed their letters of intent to continue their athletic careers in college.
Click Here