lower school experience
You know it’s spring when the fifth graders begin preparing for three major events during the last few months of the school year. Events that would normally take place in Boston, the Mulberry Tree Quad, and Cate Hall were all presented virtually from the students’ homes. These events include a weeklong Boston trip, an in-depth study of a famous American, and the recitation of a poem presented to both the school and parent communities. It comes as no surprise that the Boston trip had to transition to a virtual journey this year. Through the educational program at Sturbridge Village, fifth graders visited some of the traditional sites to learn about life in 1830s New England. As cooking is usually a part of this experience, they were challenged to make a recipe from scratch in their own kitchens. Students also took a virtual walking tour of the Freedom Trail and were able to learn about the famous ride of Paul Revere while visiting the Revere house. They studied the Longfellow poem that recounted the events of that evening and analyzed the inconsistencies that changed the actual event into one of legend. Their semester-long study of a famous American, which included detailed research and writing, concluded with their personal portrayal of a historic individual on Google Meet. Students regaled their classmates with stories of their Americans’ lives and answered questions virtually. The recitation of a poem of at least twelve lines is a tradition that bookends the Lower School experience. For many fifth graders, their first recitation took place at kindergarten graduation. Now, as they end their time in the Lower School, they participated in this second rite of passage prior to entering Upper School. These recitations—humorous, poignant, and inspiring—were also filmed at home and shared with the Crane community in one of our end-of-year assemblies. We are very proud of our fifth graders for navigating this unique time with complete success! Carrie Althoff Chris Caretto Fifth Grade Teachers
Maddie Davidian Teaching Fellow
Fifth Graders with their choice of a famous American for an in-depth study: Edie Abbott Astrid Andrade Nat Babich Avery Barrell Aydin Barry Chloe Bellamy Jordan Caratachea Keanu Christiansen Lucien Dempsey Ronan Dowling Maisie Duncan Owen Eiler Kaden Greene Java Holloway Alexei Ivanovic Jamie Levinson Reagan Mack Peter Markham Fiona McCoy Teke Meisel Jackson Muller Loma Murdy Austin Muzzy Zackary Pesepane Marlow Rogers Andrew Sheshunoff Mia Talerico
Georgia O’Keeffe Walt Disney Neil Armstrong Abigail Adams Ethan Allen Amelia Earhart Cesar Chavez Davy Crockett Lewis and Clark John Muir Maya Angelou William Cody/Buffalo Bill Wright Brothers Annie Oakley Sitting Bull Ben Franklin Frederick Douglass Muhammad Ali Martha Graham George Washington Albert Einstein Louisa May Alcott Wild Bill Hickok Harry Houdini Richard Nixon Jimmy Carter Harriet Tubman
October Evening by Robinson Jeffers Male-throated under the shallow sea-fog Moaned a ship’s horn quivering the shorelong granite. Coyotes toward the valley made answer, Their little wolf-pads in the dead grass by the stream Wet with the young season’s first rain, Their jagged wail trespassing among the steep stars. What stars? Aldebaran under the dove-leash Pleiades. I though, in an hour Orion will be risen, Be glad for summer is dead and the sky Turns over to darkness, good storms, few guests, glad rivers. This poem was recited by 5th grader Lucien Dempsey.
Fifth Grade
