9 minute read
Finding JOY in Work and Play
It was a big year for McDonogh School, and we’re not just talking about our 150th Anniversary. Behind the scenes, a team of more than 100 faculty and staff members under the leadership of Kara Zimmerman and Kevin Costa were responsible for the Association of Independent Maryland & DC Schools (AIMS) accreditation process which involved a rigorous self-study of all areas of school life. After submitting a comprehensive 300-page report to AIMS, a team of educators from peer schools visited McDonogh in February 2024 to observe the School in action. They met with individual administrators, teachers, and staff; they saw our daily work; they ate with us; and they even witnessed daily drop-off and pickup.
After the visit, the AIMS team leader told a gathering of faculty and staff, “A few things emerged from seeing the School and talking with you. One, how frequently we heard the lead part of your mission, ‘joy in work and play,’ from students, trustees, administration, faculty, staff, and parents. I participated in 10 meetings. The longest time it took for the word joy to be used was three minutes!”
Joy at McDonogh is real. Read on to see how it is woven into the fabric of our vibrant School community.
Pride and JOY
After learning how inventions impact the way people live, children in prekindergarten got busy creating their own. In March they hosted an Invention Convention where they proudly showcased their creations that help make life better. Among their inventions were robots that clean up your room, self-powered hammers, and a water filtration system!
It's not JOY that makes us grateful, it's gratitude that makes us JOYFUL.
Hearts were filled with joy and gratitude at the final Lower School Cultivating Character Chapel of the school year in late May. As is tradition, fourth graders read thank-you notes they had written to friends, family members, coaches, and teachers. Then, students presented Lower School teachers with sunflowers as a token of appreciation for their positivity, optimism, and giving hearts.
Dancing with JOY
The Student Diversity Leadership Council hosted a block party in April, featuring 14 student-led clubs. Upper schoolers made lanterns for Eid, played with dreidels, sampled foods from different regions, got henna tattoos, and, of course, danced
JOY Ride
From the innovation center to the stadium, eighth graders turned their science project into a highspeed showdown — the Middle School Soap Box Derby. The unit included in-depth studies on the physics involved in designing wheels and axles that minimize friction and maximize speed. Students also learned about the engineering design process by planning and constructing their own cars, considering factors such as aerodynamics, weight distribution, and structural integrity. During the race, they collected data to analyze making improvements to their car designs and other factors that affect performance. Props to all the teams for bringing their A-game and showing off their wheels!
Wishes for Peace and JOY
In celebration of the Lunar New Year in February, students enrolled in the Middle School Chinese world language class decorated the lobby of the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Building and hung their resolutions or hopes for a prosperous new year on a Wish Tree.
Find JOY in the Journey
On Friday afternoons beginning in September, aspiring rock stars gathered in the basement of Keelty Hall, under the direction of Steve Martel, to play music. Rock Shop, a McDonogh mainstay for almost 15 years, has been both a Middle School club and a summer music camp. During the sessions, Middle
School club members formed four rock bands and practiced their covers of popular songs in anticipation of the annual Well, Well, Well Concert. In February, the Rock Shop bands were the featured attraction of the concert fundraiser. They brought down the house with their performances, and in
collaboration with Eighth Grade Leadership students, raised more than $2,200 to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and to support Ascend Through Music — a children’s music program that is part of the Living Classrooms Foundation.
Doing Good is a Source of JOY
At the annual Greatest Good McDonogh Showcase in May, board member David Rothschild ’82, whose vision and financial support brought the idea of Greatest Good McDonogh to the School, celebrated the founding director of the program, Bridget Collins ’90, saying, “Doing good is not just a nice thing to do or a moral thing to do, it’s a source of joy and fulfillment.”
The final portion of the Showcase was dedicated to the fourth grade’s efforts with Giving Square and the Kids for Kids fund. Throughout the spring, students gained an understanding of the challenges faced by children in our community and learned about the nonprofits that address those needs. Then, each fourth grade homeroom had the responsibility of determining which child-focused nonprofit in the Baltimore community would be the recipient of $1,000 toward their important cause. One homeroom chose the Cool Kids Campaign devoted to improving the quality of life for kids with cancer and their families.
Choose JOY
From the start of the school year, middle schoolers looked forward to the last two weeks of the school year, but not just in anticipation of summer.
Their sights were set on Middle School Academy — a two-week immersive and experiential program in which they take a deep dive into two of 24 unique courses of their choosing. With names like Spy School, Global Cooking, and Shark Tank, students have the opportunity to explore unique and engaging interdisciplinary classes that feature the six core LifeReady domains: creative and critical thinking; self-knowing; communicating; perspective taking; collaborating; and connecting.
Academy’s success is not only because students can choose classes based on their interests but also because it creates opportunities for them to discover something new. As Enny O. ’30 says, “Academy allows me to embrace skills I didn’t know I had.”
JOY of Cooking
Throughout the year, upper schoolers taking Cynthia Cox’s Nonfiction Studies in Food Culture and Systems learned how food reflects identity and builds community. The hands-on course was driven by the need to solve a local problem related to food, and it included field trips to farms and local organizations concerned with food; cooking in the Roots Farm Culinary Kitchen; and building social impact skills by working with the Greatest Good McDonogh team. In May, the students experienced the joy of cooking for others at a communal meal they prepared for their families.
JOY in the Moment
There was triple the fun at the Winter Athletic Spirit Day in February. Dressed in their festive orange and black, students from all three divisions enjoyed an afternoon of basketball excitement. The tripleheader featured the girls varsity team and the boys JV and varsity teams.
Jump for JOY
Students in prekindergarten and first grade celebrated their 100th day of school on February 20 by showing off their counting skills and celebrating all things centennial. They enjoyed a surprise visit from Zero the Hero who held a dance party and shared Smarties as treats. From crafts and games centered around the magical number to elaborately decorated shirts, students seemed to have found 100 ways to celebrate.
Bundles of JOY
After learning about the mission of the Red Devils, a local nonprofit that supports families of people battling breast cancer, the second and fourth grades collaborated to write poetry with thoughtful messages and made cozy fleece Blankets of Hope for those going through treatment.
At the annual Hope Chapel in late February, the poems of hope were read, songs were sung, and blankets were presented to the Red Devils and to two members of the McDonogh Lower School community who have been battling breast cancer, evoking tears of joy.
A JOY to Behold
On Take Apart Day in February, second graders took a look at the inside of appliances, cameras, phones, and printers to explore what makes them work. Working with Upper School Engineering II students to dismantle complex machines, they discovered that many are powered by simple devices.
Does it Spark JOY?
Upper schoolers celebrated Earth Day and helped beautify the campus by planting trees, weeding the pollinator garden, cleaning campus streams, and more. These efforts, sponsored by the McDonogh Goes Green club, help the community continue its commitment to environmental stewardship!
Overflowing With JOY
The 34th Annual Cardboard Boat Race featured seven meticulously crafted cardboard boats designed and constructed by teams of Upper School students. The crews set sail on their first — and last — journeys across the pond in boats with names such as Thomas the Train, Subrina the Yellow Submarina, and the Magic School Bus. After two heats in front of an enthusiastic crowd, it was sink and swim for the soggy flotilla.
