Second Graders Raise More Than $10K for Gaining Ground
On Community Service Day, the second graders spent the morning at Gaining Ground in Concord. Gaining Ground is a local nonprofit that grows and distributes 100% of its organic produce to local hunger relief agencies. Last year, Gaining Ground grew and distributed over 120,000 pounds of organic produce. Our students weeded vegetable beds and spread compost, helping the farmers in their work to help people experiencing food insecurity. The work at the farm was a culmination of a year-long service learning project that linked work in our own BDS garden with fundraising, education, and community action. The work with Gaining Ground supports the second grade social studies curriculum where students have been mapping food labels to better understand where produce comes from, the environmental and nutritional impact of transporting food, and equitable access to fresh food. Last month the second graders collected pledges from relatives, friends, and neighbors for the number of pages read during a two-week period. This year the second graders are proud to announce that they raised $10,668.97 to donate to Gaining Ground! We would like to thank everybody who supported them by making a pledge, reading alongside them, and cheering for them every step of the way.
– Nancy Fell, Katie O’Brien, and Ian Hacker, the second grade team
Eighth Grade Latin Students Craft Curse Tablets
Eighth grade Latin students have been studying the evidence of life in the Roman world, specifically in Roman Britain. Through their study of the sacred baths of Aquae Sulis (modern-day Bath), students learned of an ancient practice–curse tablets. Used to invoke a deity to right a wrong, Romans held strong beliefs in the power of the mystery of the tablets and students were able to try their hand at this ancient practice. Using their mastery of vocabulary and Latin syntax, students wrote their own invocations, transcribed them into an ancient script, and then, in collaboration with Teacher Conroy, spent time in the IMPACT lab molding and etching them into curse tablets that will last the ages. Hopefully, our students have wielded this power for good.
– Nicole Buck, Latin teacher
First Graders Plant the Three Sisters Garden
First graders have taken turns visiting the garden and working with Ms. Solomon this spring. They have gone on a garden tour, tasted chives, mint, and other herbs growing, and been monitoring the bee hives and honeycomb growth. Our work in the garden complements first graders’ study of Indigenous communities, specifically the Wampanoags, by learning about the Three Sisters Garden, which is crucial to local Indigenous farming. So far, first graders have planted corn, the first “sister,” and will plant beans and squash before the end of the school year. First graders have also planted sunflowers from seed, which they will transport to the garden when the flowers are ready. Sunflowers serve as another helper in the garden. Their work with the Three Sisters Garden will continue when they return to BDS next year as second graders. They will harvest the three crops in the fall that they are planting now.
– Geoffrey Fox and Katie Hogan, first grade teachers
