This week, Manhattan Day School celebrated 100 days since school began once again in person, halls and classrooms filled with joy and the gift of students learning with and from each other. While very grateful to shift from the virtual realm back to real-life connections, the MDS students and teachers took some of the skills they had acquired in virtual learning to expand their classroom walls and meaningfully enrich the in-class learning experience!
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Click on Zoom! First and second grade students are gearing up for their first visit to the esteemed concert venue on the big screen in their classroom, thanks to the music education department which has been creating dynamic virtual concert experiences. Students are learning about musicians from around the world, becoming familiar with each performer’s story, culture and songs. With the red carpet rolled out, dressed for a show, MDS students will join others nationwide, to engage in a live theatre experience.
Sixth graders really dig learning about archaeology virtually. Last week they met Italian archaeologist Tanja, an expert at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy, which houses the world-famous, 5,000-year-old “Iceman” mummy, nick-named Ötzi, who was found by hikers in the Italian alps in 1991. This breakthrough discovery has led researchers and students to better understand various aspects of ancient life. “I loved the virtual tour!” says Ava Hutman. “It was so magical meeting an expert on the person we have been learning about for more than a week.” The students were grateful for this globally connective experience and are excited to travel to other parts of the world to broaden their educational knowledge.
Zoom took eighth graders back to pre-war Germany in a moving presentation by Rabbi Joel Cohn of IsraEd about Kristallnacht. This month, students will take part in an IsraEd presentation on Hevron, which tells the stories of our forefathers and mothers as they travel from city to city in the Holy Land, bringing new depth to their Judaic studies.
Although they can’t legally vote yet, MDS seniors will get a hands-on lesson on how voting works from Congresswoman Elaine Luria, a Jewish congresswoman who has an active pro-Israel voice. A nuclear engineer, Luria was in charge of operations in Afghanistan with 400 soldiers in her command. She will give students a glimpse into her daily life in politics and share her passion to be a voice for Israel advocacy.
Through these virtual learning experiences, Manhattan Day School students have honed their speaking skills, boosted their confidence levels and shown increased engagement by stepping outside the classroom and into other worlds they have yet to explore.
