A stroller. A garment bag. A trash bag. A suitcase. A briefcase. A rolling cart. A wagon. For a fun diversion, seventh and eighth-grade students will have the opportunity to carry their school books and supplies in anything other than a backpack on Wednesday, February 2.
Last Friday, 65 seventh graders faced canoes and kayaks down the Okatoma river and pushed off on an adventure. After an early departure from campus and an hour and a half long bus ride, the students were eager to study in the biggest classroom in the world – the great outdoors.
Matt Morgan will serve as interim head of Middle School while continuing as associate head of school and academic dean, a position he has held since 2018. Brandt Walker will assume a new position as interim associate head of Middle School while serving as associate athletic director.
April is National Poetry Month, a time to read, listen to, and practice writing in this distinct literary style. In fifth and sixth grade English classes, Grace Simmons and Mallory Gnemi taught poetry’s characteristic elements, forms, and genres throughout the month, and shared their enthusiasm, too. To mark the end of April, fifth and sixth grade English classes celebrated by creating a Poetry Cafe! The fifth graders took turns stepping onto the PAC stage by class and reading a selection of poems and definitions aloud before enjoying some sweets. Sixth-grade students sipped coffee and nibbled cookies while taking turns reading from the biographies and writings of poets they enjoyed learning about – some even shared original poetry!
“Be encouraging, trustworthy, safe, and have tons of fun,” was the advice of eight-grader Ellen Morgan. Her entire class had just experienced JA’s new Ropes Facility Course at Ashleigh Park. The course is within the school’s Raider Park complex.
Following an orientation Friday morning, eighth-grade students were divided into groups. Forty-five participated in initiative games while three groups of 15 students each began the team-building course. Students rotated through both initiative games and team-building before their lunch break.