From Farm to Folger Theater!

The Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students put on an excellent performance at the Folger Shakespeare Secondary Festival yesterday. We are all very proud of them all!

Their play was entitled "Shakespeare Mashup" and included scenes woven together from Hamlet, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The whole cast received a recognition award called "The Well-Oiled Machine Award" for working together as an ensemble, listening and responding to one another, and clearly presenting the meaning of Shakespeare's texts. 

Three individual Mountain Laurel Montessori students received awards as well.

Many thanks to our guest drama teacher and director, Katie Long.

Congratulations!!

Rosalind and Sylvius with trees in As You Like It

Romeo and Juliet

The cast with the narrator setting the scene

The Nation's Capital Was the Setting for Original Theater Based on the Cultures of Ancient China and Mesopotamia

The US Botanical Gardens became
the setting for this portrayal of the
leader of an  ancient Chinese dynasty

At the end of each Humanities Project, the students write original historical fiction based on their research.We call these pieces Dramatis Personae.  We spend the day in Washington D.C. performing all around the city

At dusk, part of an original epic poem
styled after Gilgamesh

The students on the capital lawn

Each student chooses the location for their dramatis personae based on the physical scene they want to portray.  For example, the US Botanical Garden has a desert room that has been used for cultures in arid climates, the US Capital was the backdrop for a portrayal of a Roman Senator because of the historical connections between the governments of Rome and the United States, and the grassy area of the National Mall was recently used to represent a wide open plain.   

More of the epic poem 

The location may be chosen for visual effect or historical significance.  In this way, the students are challenged to make connections between various cultures, times, and places and to think about how the past is connected to our own lives today.   

Genghis Khan

Welcome Smithsonian Campers!

On Wednesday, 52 campers came down from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) to learn about Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School. These rising 9th and 10th grade students were part of the Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) camp.

Thank you 

to Mountain Laurel Montessori students who came out to give tours!!! The campers' favorite part of the tour was reported to be learning to catch chickens!

It is exciting to be right down the road from an institution doing amazing international conservation research and we are very happy to be able to share our school as a model of land-based education.

For more on SCBI: http:nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi

Students Bicycle from DC to Harper's Ferry

Bicycle Odyssey

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students and guides cycled from Washington, DC to Harper's Ferry on a 3 day bicycle and camping trip.  

Here's part one of the travelogue:

Georgetown

We love simple machines

Experiencing the power of levers at the locks

The mighty Potomac River

Taking a break to admire the geology of Great Falls

The teepee tent

I love this tent!

A peaceful evening on the river

A Volunteer Park Ranger helps us with the maps

Eggs cooked on the Coleman stove for breakfast by the culinary crew

Carrying gear 0.5 mile to the second camp site

The only hill: from the trail to the camp

Ready to go on day two

Farm School Students Perform at the Folger Theater

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School

presents:

William Shakespeare's

Much Ado About Nothing

The Farm School students performed as part of the Folger Theater's Secondary Shakespeare Festival.

They received a critique from professional actors and directors after the performance.

Three students received individual awards, and the entire cast received an award for their ability to work as a cohesive ensemble.

Students prepare for Folger Shakespeare Festival

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School 
presents William Shakespeare's

Much Ado About Nothing 

On March 3rd, 2010, Farm School students will perform on the world famous Folger stage in Washington, DC.  They have condensed Much Ado About Nothing into a 25 minute performance. Middle and High Schools from around the region will perform during the festival. 

Students sewed all their own costumes, staged the play, and practiced to an audience of appreciative sheep in the hoop barn.

Students Portray Ancient Mayans in Washington, DC

As the culmination of our Humanities study of the Ancient Mayan Civilization, Farm School students wrote Dramatis Peronae (short monologues) of individuals from the Ancient Mayan Culture. On Monday, we went into Washington, DC, and each student found a place to perform that best suited their character. Here are some examples:

Left: Maya King building temple (steps of the sculpture garden)

Right: Maya girl prepares to be sacrificed to the gods to give her people a good harvest (benches along Constitution Avenue)

Left: Jaguar hunter (natural history museum under a jaguar in the mammal room)

Right: Maya Weaver (in front of Southwestern Native American weaving in Native American Museum)

Left: Maya Scribe (using the stone in front of the Natural History Museum)

Right: Heir to Maya Throne describes plan for peace (sculpture garden)

Left: Spanish Conquistador (riding a horse on the carousel)