When the Russian forces invaded Ukraine at the end of February, upper school students Anabelle Creveling ’22 and Meredith Joo ’23 sprung into action. They started to network, searching for ways to connect with those directly affected by the attacks.

Together they learned that history teacher Lindsey Rossler had a friend and colleague at the American School of Warsaw. Poland, which is adjacent to Ukraine, has welcomed the largest number of Ukrainian refugees since the onset of the conflict.

Our little Vikings ventured off to SoundWaters earlier this week to explore the treasures of the Long Island Sound. First grade students participated in two hands-on learning experiences that introduced them to local animals and the negative impact of oil spills on the Long Island Sound and beyond.

The class was divided into two groups for simultaneous lessons on each subject, followed by interactive STEM experiments. The first group got up close with live animals, touching and holding the creatures to observe clues about their ways of life in the Long Island Sound.

To kick off the new year, upper school French teacher Denise Mihailoff and lower school teacher Helen Santoro teamed up for an opportunity to collaborate on curriculum across divisions. While upper school french students are researching the legacy of cultural heritage, Grade 5 students are learning about ancient civilizations, providing the students with a unique opportunity to make connections in one another’s learning. 

Using the SQ3R study method of surveying, questioning, reading, reciting, and reviewing, sixth grade students explored the geography of regions around the world. This five-step process is designed to encourage understanding of a text by engaging the reader throughout the research process. Under the guidance of history teacher Dana Karin, the students studied Africa, Latin America, Monsoon Asia, and Southwest and Central Asia and then designed a poster to present their research. 

Learning the geography of the world can seem daunting, but Grade 6 found a dynamic approach to the process. In 20th Century Global Perspectives class, students created “life maps” on which they marked the places around the world that have contributed to their personal histories. 

This summer, King student Tucker Pedersen ’22 was selected to join the first-ever Global Citizens Initiative LEAD Challenge. The virtual summit, which took place from July 26-31, brought together secondary school students from all over the world to learn about leadership, ethics, advocacy, and design thinking. Tucker’s participation in the challenge qualified King School, a member of the Global Citizens Initiative, to become one of 30 schools worldwide to be represented at the summit. 

Grade 8 students at King School role-played as delegates to a United Nations Committee and debated global issues with one another as part of a Model UN simulation in their History class. Under the guidance of Middle School faculty Kenneth Lewis, the activity marked the end of a yearlong study of American foreign policy and the role that the United States plays in the world today.

King student Peri Ferguson '22 was selected from over 500 students to receive a Global Online Academy Citation Award at the Catalyst Conference for her project on extending the life of clothing to reduce global waste. King School is one of 96 schools worldwide that participates in the Global Online Academy (GOA) consortium. The conference, which took place from April 22 to 26, is a virtual event where students in the GOA consortium present their capstone projects on research-based solutions to real-world issues.

As Jackson Rosen '29 jotted down some of his favorite things for his pen pal, Rodrigo, he exclaimed, "I have so many things I want to share, I don't know which ones to pick!" Using a template, Grade 4 students wrote about themselves in Spanish for their pen pals in Malaga, Spain. They shared some of their favorite things, such as their favorite animal, sports, food, color, and celebrations.