Over the past three months, students in Grade 4 have been diving deep into picture books. Challenged by their teachers, Rebecca Keogh and Katherine Baum, students identified universal themes with supporting text, producing five-paragraph essays highlighting their findings. The essays were then used as the basis for group podcasts where students had the opportunity to teach and learn from one another.

A whirlwind of color and creativity swept through the Lower School this week. In preparation for and during the visit from internationally renowned New York Times bestselling and award-winning illustrator Rafael López on Wednesday, April 10, students embarked on a journey of artistic expression and exploration.

It was a morning filled with innovation and exploration! King’s inaugural STEAM Morning on Thursday, April 4, was a smashing success. The event, led by science teacher Shevon Morris, brought students and families together for an enriching taste of inquiry-based learning at its very best.

Pre-K through Grade 5 students teamed up with their families to tackle fun, hands-on STEAM activities in their classrooms. These activities showcased how science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics come alive when applied to the real world. 

Students in Grade 5 revived Ancient Egypt, bringing the mystique of the civilization on the Nile to their classroom and transforming the space into a veritable museum. To the delight of their peers, the students shared what they learned during their weeks immersed in the subject through presentations that reflected their research and discoveries.

The fifth grade Advocacy Café returned for a second year, showcasing students’ passions for social issues through presentations detailing student-driven research. Building upon the success of last year's event, this year's Advocacy Café encouraged students to delve into a broader range of topics. The work culminated on Friday, February 22, in fifth grade classrooms transformed into hip cafes where friends and families were invited to hear the final presentations.

Last Friday, fifth-grade students delighted a packed Performing Arts Center with the adventures of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. The musical “Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka JR.” challenged the actors with its fantastic tale and charming songs, and they delivered. 

Inspired by Chris Van Dusen's imaginative story, "If I Built a Car,” students in Grade 1 explored the engineering design process and created models of their dream vehicles. Over the course of several classes, students built, tested, and refined their designs, working through problems together. The lesson culminated with races in the lower school hallway before students discussed their design process, highlighting the power of perseverance and collaborative problem-solving.

Upper and lower school students immersed themselves in the Francophile world this past week, gathering to share their knowledge of the language and culture in a cross-divisional experience that served as nostalgic for the upper school students and aspirational for the lower school counterparts. The get-together featured French fairy tales and highlighted the significance of literature in preserving cultural heritage. 

Grade 4 families and members of the King community were invited into the classroom on Friday, December 4, to see the culmination of the students’ U.S. Region unit. The unit covered the geography, climate, landscapes, and states within each region. Studying various types of maps taught students essential skills such as cardinal directions and scale.