Grade 4 Celebrates Chinese New Year!

The fourth grade enjoyed a fun, informative and festive Chinese New Year celebration today! Activities included a dragon parade through the school, reading Chinese folk tales, creating paper crafts, making Chinese dumplings, playing with Chinese yo-yos with the eighth graders, time with the visiting students from China and much more! 

Grade 8 Visits the Supreme Court!

It’s always a treat to see the places where history is made – even if it’s in your own backyard! The eighth grade had a fantastic trip to the Supreme Court today. Having recently studied the 1963 Gideon v. Wainwright case, a great example of how a case progresses to and through the Supreme Court, the girls were thrilled to get an insider’s look at the highly-guarded court room. With the nine Justice’s high-backed chairs in front of them, the eighth graders impressed the docent with their thoughtful and thought-provoking questions.

No photos are allowed inside the actual Supreme Court.
So we captured the next best thing, the girls
outside the impressive exterior!

Grade 4 - Ben’s Chili Bowl Trip

The fourth grade had an exciting and memorable trip to DC's historic Ben’s Chili Bowl today! The girls enjoyed a presentation by a Ben's Chili Bowl employee, delicious chili dogs courtesy of Holton parent, Perry Vanderhorst, as well as a very special visit from owner, Mrs. Ali! 

Lower School Makes Sandwiches on MLK Day!

Even though school was closed today for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Holton's Lower School students still kept busy! On this National Day of Service, more than 70 students, family and friends gathered together to make sandwiches to benefit Martha's Table in DC. In total, the group made approximately 925 meat and cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. To complement the sandwich, they also donated a crate of apples. Thank you for supporting our community!

The Blackfriars Perform "Othello" on Holton's Stage!

Yesterday, Upper School students enjoyed both a shortened class schedule as well as a live production of Othello. Each year, actors from the American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse stages a full Shakespeare play at Holton’s Lewis Theater, to the delight of the Upper School student body. The troupe’s interactive style made the event fun and memorable for the girls, who, as always, proved to be an engaged and appreciative audience.

The Blackfriars troupe rehearses Othello on Holton's stage!

 

What is Religion?

Freshly back from the holiday break, the Upper School students taking the "What is Religion?" semester-long course enjoyed an eye-opening field trip! In the course, the girls study the world's major religions. "I think of the course as arming students with the knowledge and wisdom they need in order to navigate the ever-changing, complex and sometimes volatile religious landscape of our global environment," stated teacher, Ms. Elizabeth Buko.

On last week's field trip - a tour of the Abrahamic faiths - the girls visited with Protodeacon Leonid Mickle at the Russian Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Washington D.C (below), Kesher Israel and the Islamic Center.

Holton Teachers Take The Goofy Race and a Half Challenge

This past weekend, Holton teachers, Ms. Stephanie Hedges and Ms. Carrie Braun participated in Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge! The race was held over two days and was a total of 39.3 miles. These two superstar teachers started the race with a half marathon on Saturday through Disney's Magic Kingdom® Park and Epcot®. They ended their epic race on Sunday with a full marathon through all four Walt Disney World® Theme Parks including Epcot®, Magic Kingdom® Park, Disney's Animal Kingdom® Park and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Congratulations to Ms. Hedges and Ms. Braun!

Frogs and Lily Pads . . . I mean iPads!

What do frogs, scalpels and iPads have in common? They all played a part in the seventh grade frog dissection on Thursday, January 9. This year’s dissection, a supplement to their study of Biodiversity, included a technological twist! “The girls prepared using an interactive frog dissection app on their iPads and were able to use them during the dissection as reference,” explained middle school science teacher, Ms. Walthall. With several middle school teachers joining in on the fun, all 76 girls examined external anatomy and then made their first incisions. Gloved up, goggled and looking professional, they explored the internal anatomy while recording observations and answering questions. Pictures were snapped, some frogs were named, and a few future surgeons were born!