IB MYP

Eliot-Hine’s International Baccalaureate Showcase

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Blog content and photos provided by Ms. Bess Davis, Eliot-Hine’s IB Coordinator. You can email her to learn more at Bess.Davis@dc.gov 

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This school-year, DCPS Global Education partnered with DCPS’s six International Baccalaureate (IB) World Schools to recognize students and families at the first annual IB Showcase. Eliot-Hine MS is one of two DCPS IB middle schools in the city. At this recent IB showcase, EH students and families viewed projects through a gallery walk and voted on their favorite IB work products. EH students’ projects ranged from science fair projects, community projects, art, and student writing. 

In addition to supporting event set-up and clean-up, Eliot-Hine students were also present to share their Community Projects and receive recognition on stage. Each school honored students with Learner Profile awards and Outstanding IB Assignment awards. Parents and community members were also honored with an Outstanding Program Advocate Award. All in all, it was an exciting night to celebrate DCPS’s IB World Schools! 

To learn more about Eliot-Hine’s IB Middle Years Programme, check out these former posts:

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Next Principal Young Meet & Greet: August 3 at 10:30 AM, The Pretzel Bakery

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Thank you to everyone who came out to our first meet and greet with Principal Young. We all enjoyed “Sundaes on Monday”! Families not only met Eliot-Hine’s new principal, but also Dean Lockhart and Director of School Strategy & Logistics, Mrs. Morgan. The group engaged in dialogue about how the new 6th graders will transition to middle school and learned so much from Maury ES and Miner ES families present. We also discussed more about the upcoming Maury ES swing and how to build on this opportunity of having the two schools together.

If you missed this meet and greet, there is another this Thursday at the Pretzel Bakery. Come out and learn more or enroll your student for SY17-18!

EH August 3 flyer

Eliot-Hine 2017 Promotion Ceremony

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EHMS Grads
Eliot-Hine Class of 2017

Eliot-Hine MS celebrated their 8th-graders at the 2017 Promotion last week. The students were recognized for their hard work and accomplishments achieved during their middle school career. A special congratulations to Valedictorian Nafisa Weeks! Some high schools our Eliot-Hine graduations will attend are McKinley Tech HS, Banneker HS, Eastern HS, Duke Ellington School for the Arts, and Phelps HS. 

Eastern High School Principal, Sah Brown, was the keynote speaker for the ceremony. He discussed the all that the graduating students had already overcome and the numerous future success we look forward to hearing about as they move to high school. Best of luck, graduates!

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Eliot-Hine Class of 2017
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Instructional Superintendent Natalie Gordon and Principal Sah Brown confirm the graduates!
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Valedictorian Nafisa Weeks with her mother and grandmother. Congrats, Nafisa!

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One of Eliot-Hine’s top 10 graduates: Congrats, Makaela!
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Congrats, Shawn!
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One of Eliot-Hine’s top 10 graduates: Congratulations, Destiny!

 

Eliot-Hine International Faire: Bringing the World to Capitol Hill

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Eliot-Hine hosted a vibrant International Faire on Friday, June 2 open to the community. This event aimed to present students with a global perspective and share more about their new International Baccalaureate framework. There were fun activities such as temporary henna tattoos, Chinese calligraphy, and Arabic script writing. There were also stations featuring fun books and apps focusing on other countries and cultures like Tutu’s storybooks and an Argentinian tango demonstration. Students and families also learned about programs within Eliot-Hine that pushes a global perspective, such as the Model UN program and the DC Global Education’s Embassy Adoption Program. Thank you for such a beautiful event!

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Eliot-Hine’s National Junior Honor Society Induction

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Twelve of Eliot-Hine’s 6th, 7th, and 8th graders were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society during a ceremony recently. This is the first cohort of inductees at Eliot-Hine, and the group is off to a great start getting involved in the community! The NJHS members were ushers at the 2017 Promotion ceremony and helped with end-of-year festivities. The National Junior Honor Society is the nation’s premier organization established to recognize outstanding middle level students. More than just an honor roll, NJHS serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship.

Five main purposes have guided chapters of NJHS from the beginning: to create enthusiasm for scholarship; to stimulate a desire to render service; to promote leadership; to encourage responsible citizenship; and to develop character in the students of secondary schools. We look forward to all the support this special group will provide moving forward!

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Jump-start June with Eliot-Hine’s International Faire: Fri., 6/2 at 5 PM

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Eliot-Hine MS 2017 International Faire Flyer

This family-friendly and educational event is next Friday, June 2nd. Join us for a very fun night of cultural dance performances, play games from other countries, get a henna tattoo, taste delicious international cuisine, and more. All are invited to join us!

Any questions can be directed to eliothinepto@gmail.com.

Eliot-Hine MS is located at 1830 Constitution Ave. NE, Washington DC, 20002. The closest metro stop is Stadium-Armory and street parking is available.

Update on IB Community Projects: Successful Feminine Hygiene Product Drive!

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This week Eliot-Hine’s 8th graders are presenting their IB Community Project. Previously we featured students from Ms. Harris’ advisory on their research project. After researching homelessness, these students were motivated to host a feminine hygiene product drive for House of Ruth, a women and children’s shelter, after learning these items are in greatest need. All month of May students collected donations from their community and Eliot-Hine staff members. These students were able to collect 5,000 products to donate to House of Ruth’s 11 different programs. They also did research on what it takes to run a homeless shelter and how to start a non-profit organization. Check out their photos below from their personal delivery!

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Students taking donations from Eliot-Hine MS to House of Ruth via metro
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5,000 feminine hygiene products donated to House of Ruth!

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Other IB community project topics include: evaluating high school dropout rates, rise of police brutality in the U.S., bullying and how students can stand up for others, etc.

Supporting Their City With Compassion: IB Community Project Spotlight

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As part of the International Baccaleaurate Middle Years Programme,  all 8th graders complete a community project at Eliot-Hine Middle School. The community project provides an opportunity for students to collaborate and pursue service learning. Students work in groups, conduct research, and practice public speaking when they present in front of a panel of judges.

This year, Ms. Harris’ all-girls advisory is researching homelessness. Each week they stay after school, even coming in on weekends or when they have days off, and have been researching how a homeless shelter is run, what types of homeless shelters are in the DC area, the statistics on homelessness broken down by various groups, and more. A big objective of their project is changing the negative rhetoric around homelessness and teaching everyone to be more compassionate. To take it one step further, these students are raising awareness in their community by hosting a feminine hygiene product drive. They have even partnered with local alumnae of Agnes Scott College, a women’s college in Atlanta, to raise funds. All the proceeds will go to House of Ruth, a women and children’s shelter in DC, and they are so excited to show the community ways people can support these shelters!

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If you would like to support their project and make a donation, please stop by Eliot-Hine’s main office during school hours. Items will be collected until Wednesday, May 17. More details on the flyer here. 

Connecting art & emotional responses: Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors field trip

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Last week, Ms. Mills took a group of students on a field trip to see Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors exhibit at the Hirschhorn Museum. Artist Yayoi Kusama’s avant-garde pieces are known for their ability to evoke various emotional responses based on her unconventional use of space, color, light and reflection. In her Infinity Mirrors exhibit, Kusama created six rooms of wonder on the beauty, stereotypes and evolution of the human condition. Students viewed the rooms as well as her earlier creations such as “Works on Paper.” Students then analyzes the six rooms and critically discuss Kusama’s perspective on the “incredible beauty of humanity.” Check out photos from their day below:

Field trip to see Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors exhibit.
Field trip to see Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors exhibit.
Students analyse Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors exhibit.
Field trip to see Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors exhibit.
Students analyse Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors exhibit.
Students analyse Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors exhibit.
Field trip to see Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors exhibit.
Field trip to see Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors exhibit.

If you are interested in this exhibit, information on their free timed-passes is here. 

Eliot-Hine Staff Feature: Ms. Harrington, 8th Grade Physical Science

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Ms. Harrington, 8th grade Physical Science teacher
  • Where are you from and what experiences led you to where you are in education today? I am from this area and went to Virginia Tech. After college, I came back home and have been teaching at Eliot-Hine ever since. My mentor is my 9th grade biology teacher. She is remarkable, made science fun, and we still have relationship to this day! Relating lessons to the real world made her class so interesting. That is what I try to do in my classroom: connect and make every moment count
  • How long have you been teaching at EH? Six years. I started my teaching career here at Eliot-Hine.
  • How would you describe Eliot-Hine students? Inquisitive. They are always exploring, asking questions, seeking answers, and constantly learning. They love being here! They are appreciated and very loved in this safe space.
  • Share something about Eliot-Hine staff: No teacher or classroom here is alike. You will find teachers here come from such diverse backgrounds- those with a doctorate degree or some seeking teaching as a career change, etc. All our various attributes bring something different to the classroom.
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    This is Eliot-Hine’s first full year as an IB MS. How does this IB framework shape your teaching? We really emphasize the IB learner profiles. These are attributes I would like them to have when they leave my class. A test does not strictly define capability. We focus a lot on the whole student and project-based learning. They’re so creative and excel when they’re asked to apply what they’ve learned. You’ll see a lot more discussion-based classes here. Also debates that challenge their mindset and expose them to various ways of thinking about something.

  • What are some new Science initiatives at Eliot-Hine this year? We have new lab spaces and equipment! There is a grow lab (an indoor gardening station) in the back of the 7th grade Life Science classroom. We also recently created a pollinator garden to help preserve the health of bees, butterflies, birds, and other pollinators.
  • What is something people do not know about Eliot-Hine? We are a Flamboyan Family Engagement Partnership School. Flamboyan Foundation works with four DCPS schools as Middle School Family Engagement Partners to implement high impact family engagement strategies that build strong relationships and engage families as partners in their student’s academic success. This allows us to do a lot home visits. We also have student-led conferences and goal setting is also very student-driven.
  • Describe Eliot-Hine in one word. Change. Middle school years are the years of transformation. We help with the precious transition into becoming  a middle school student and build up their character for their transition into high school. Our students become very resilient and acquire many life skills to help them adapt to change.

Stop by Eliot-Hine to check out their neat pollinator garden or meet passionate staff like Ms. Harrington! We will feature more staff members and their pollinator garden in the coming weeks.