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.

Antonia Kolb ’24 and Max Wachter ’24 uncovered some glaring differences and similarities in the King uniform as it has evolved throughout history. While studying fashion in their French Honors class, the two students put together a presentation that relied on past yearbooks and the King School history book “150 Years of Educational Excellence” to research how the past uniforms compare with the uniforms of today. 

Grade 2 students participated in a traditional coffee ceremony with the family of King Student Zerai Asefaw '32, whose heritage is from Eritrea. Zerai's grandmother, Neghesty Negusse, was joined by Zerai's father, Dr. Senai Asefaw P'32, to demonstrate each step of the coffee ceremony process, sharing their cultural traditions with the classroom.

As part of King's global education initiative, grade 5 students have been exploring Morocco. Students were introduced to various resources such as books, articles, videos, and photos to begin developing an understanding of the North African country's rich cultural heritage. 

"What I like most is that we can pick a topic that we want to learn more about," says Alivia Posta. "When our class started studying ancient China, the first thing that came to mind was their art. I made a connection because I love art and Chinese civilization was one of the first places to make art and pottery," she reports.

From fracking and genome sequencing to military intervention in transnational conflicts, King students practiced the art of debate during Harvard University's annual simulation of the United Nations. "We were very pleased with the performance of our members and we appreciated their commitment throughout this challenging year," said Ava Bussan '21, head delegate and Model UN Club co-president.