今年’s annual 较低的学校 Musical is a fun and colorful way to teach a variety of valuable themes: honesty, 练习自我控制, 己所不欲，勿施于人, 在你的生活中创造平衡，成为社会的好成员. 对于四年级学生来说，这也是一个完整的循环时刻; 威利旺卡和巧克力工厂 was last performed at Ellis when these students were in Pre-K and they played the squirrels. 今年, as is tradition, the fourth graders will lead the cast with starring roles.

“It’s been fun to revisit this show with these students because they remember it,低年级音乐老师杰拉·格里格斯说. “这真的很积极, culminating project that really ties together the fourth graders’ 较低的学校 experience.”

作者的一天 has been a tradition at Ellis since Sara Brooke became a librarian at the school in the 1991-1992 academic year. Each year since, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Brooke has coordinated a children’s or young adult author to visit the school, 与学生交谈, 谈谈写作的过程.

今年春天, 澳门新葡新京官方欢迎了作家和插画家唐·塔特, 谁分享了他作为艺术家的鼓舞人心的旅程, 作家, 和创造性, 并讨论了他关于鲜为人知的非裔美国人的作品. 他领导了一个与低年级学生的互动绘画课程, and signed books families could purchase through a partnership between the school and White Whale Bookstore.

“当孩子们看到一个作家时，他们会发现这对他们来说是一种可能性。. 布鲁克说. “It really encourages a love of reading and literature, and enhances the whole reading experience. 这可以帮助孩子们了解是谁创造了书, 以及写作的过程, 说明, 复习是这样的.”

以五年级学生对古代文明的学习为基础, 罗马一天 is a long-standing and beloved tradition that brings history lessons to life. 学生们学习如何包裹长袍并整天穿着, and can wear hairstyles and jewelry representative of the styles Roman women would have worn. There are chariot races—featuring the square scooters from gym class—and a Rome-inspired feast with food provided by parents. 他们还将学习加密技术, 凯撒密码, 尤利乌斯·凯撒用来向他的盟友发送秘密信息的.

But there’s also a lively academic component that helps students understand an important part of Roman history: the aqueducts that Roman people invented and built to carry water into their cities. Students work in teams to build arches and learn about the engineering that went into these structures. 艾米Sidari, 五年级教务长，中学英语和历史教师, 他说，把这些课程带到生活中有很多价值. 建造拱门是团队合作的重要机会, but also helps students understand how advanced this ancient civilization was. She has been to Rome, and shows pictures and videos of what Rome looks like today.

“I think oftentimes when students picture Rome they think of the ruins,”她说。. “但这些历史遗迹只是这座城市的一部分. 紧挨着这些废墟的是酒店、餐馆、汽车和人们. 向他们展示今天的罗马会让它更真实.”

Ellis’ sixth grade history class focuses on the middle ages and—much as 罗马一天 is a highlight in fifth grade—the two-day 中世纪的做 is a much-loved tradition. 今年, each student researched a woman from the medieval or renaissance period and gave a presentation to their class. Students could honor the woman they chose by incorporating some clothing or style elements that represented that person, 在适当的文化背景下. The day will also include a non-combative jousting competition where students will aim a lance at a hoop, and a catapult competition which complements work they did in science class to build the catapults and learn about simple machines.

中学 English and History Teacher Natalie Dixon Bell said she has worked to make the 中世纪的做 more multicultural to mirror the history curriculum that focuses on this historical era in Asia, 非洲, 中美洲, 和欧洲. 学生们将向来自世界各地的女性致敬, 活动期间的食物将代表许多国家.

“I think the most impressive thing for them is that they understand and realize just how big the world was in that time period,”她说。. 从他们的同学那里听到不同的服装, 不同的食物, what people were doing in different places—it really drives home how much was occurring at the same time and how complex the world was.”

上学校 students in grades 9-11 get to learn a little differently after final exams wrap up by taking a deep dive into a subject area through an Ellis favorite called 迷你课程. 在春季学期的最后两周举行, 迷你课程——大部分由澳门新葡新京官方的教员领导, but occasionally led by students—allow 上学校ers to participate in classes that highlight specific interests and content areas they might not otherwise explore.

The 2024 Mini Course schedule includes: American History Through Film; Beyond Geometry: the Beauty of Fractals; Birding in Pittsburgh; Busted: Expressive Portraiture in Clay and many more. 还有以书籍为中心的俱乐部和健康活动, 谜题, 黑胶唱片, 散步, 以及领导力的基础.

“What’s nice is that you get to take a bunch of classes that aren’t offered as electives,Ellis junior Zaitun Kirabo说. 今年, 她将参加“声音放大读书俱乐部”, 这是一门探索社会中未被充分代表的声音的课程, 星巴克之外, a course that visits independent coffee shops to learn more about the businesses' sustainability practices and efforts to support the local economy. “这些东西通常是你拿不到的，”宰桐说. “有一年，我参加了专业谈判课程，这很酷. 有很多种类.”

每年的这个时候都是苦乐参半, as we celebrate all our seniors have accomplished while preparing to say goodbye. The Class of 2024 wrapped up their time at Ellis by completing a variety of unique Senior Projects, 你可以在我们的文章中读到 Ellis Senior Projects Explore Wellness, STEM Education, Sports, Art and More. 在接下来的几周内, they will be recognized during 上学校 Closing Exercises and the Lifers—those who have been here since the early years of 较低的学校—will participate in the Senior Lifer Reception. After graduation in June, the Class of 2024 is off to 16 distinct colleges and universities. 请看这里的列表!