The high school students have traditionally embarked on a weekend trip at the end of first semester to celebrate the end of mid-terms and the coming holiday break. Previous excursions included visits to Atlanta and Charleston. This year, there was also interest in touring Washington, D.C. as an extension of the US History and American Government curriculums. So the decision was made to substitute the D.C. trip for the usual end-of-semester trip...and what a trip it turned out to be!

The trip was full of “firsts” for many of our students who had either never flown before, never been to D.C., never ridden a subway or never taken an Uber/taxi. We even had a new meteorological experience while there - graupel. It is sometimes called “soft hail” or “snow pellets” and is formed when supercooled water droplets collect and freeze on falling snowflakes. Who knew?

We also discovered that December is the perfect time to visit Washington, D.C.! We did not face the usual crowds that one would expect at the many museums and tourist attractions, so we were able to fit in visits to numerous historical sights and cultural activities. Here’s the list of sights/activities that we had the opportunity to experience:

● Arlington National Cemetery tour & the Changing of the Guards ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers

● Night-time bus tour of the national monuments

● U. S. Capitol tour

● United States Supreme Court tour

● Holocaust museum

● Kennedy Center for performance of Handel’s Messiah

● National Archives (Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, U.S. Constitution)

● Old Post Office and Clock Tower

● Ford’s Theater for performance of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol

● Smithsonian Natural History museum

● Smithsonian American History museum

● National Gallery of Art

● Smithsonian Air and Space museum

● Ice skating at Sculpture Garden

● National Zoo

● U.S. Botanic Garden.

With all that we did, there is so much more to do and see in D.C. The five-day trip was packed from morning till night and left little time for holiday shopping like past end-of-semester trips, but the students went home with something much more valuable - a collection of memorable experiences to share!

Written by Dr. Dana Hill

"Jonathan is a consultant, trainer, speaker and author who infuses his work in leadership development with 30 years experience as an educator and administrator. Jonathan’s incisive ability to apply Dr. Montessori’s educational constructs to training adults led him to positions as a teacher trainer, as the director of education and training for various education and business organizations, and as the administrator for several nationally recognized schools. Thirty years in the field have provided him with solid first-hand experience in leading and managing rapidly growing for-profit and not-for-profit schools, education institutions and business organizations.

Today, the primary focus of his consulting practice is on leadership development – designing best practices and writing books and articles that enhance individual and organizational performance. His creative, interactive programs, his humorous and inspiring teaching style, and his deep insight into the needs of people and organizations are in demand by organizations around the world"

SCISA Track

Students in 6th-12th grade are eligible to participate in SCISA track and field. Practice will start the end of January and meets will start the end of February and run through April.

Montessori Soccer Teams

We would like to field MSA soccer teams to enter into the YMCA league if we have enough students wanting to participate. If your child would like to play spring soccer and is between the ages of 4 & 11 please let me know their interest by Tuesday, January 9th.

Please e-mail Jenna Patch - jpatch@msasc.org for more details or to get your child signed up.