National Foreign Language Week
|
|
|
|
Called World Language Week here at MPH, the National Foreign Language Week initiative began in 1957 in an effort to bring awareness to the necessity of foreign language study. Read more about it
here.
At Monday's assembly, Middle and Upper School students demonstrated their knowledge of language and culture by singing, dancing, reciting poems and phrases, and performing in Spanish, Latin, French, and Mandarin Chinese.
Take a look at some of the videos below.
The week continued with multicultural food sampling, communication skills, and foreign television show viewing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spanish 1 students performing El Patio de Mi Casa
|
International Students and Chinese Class: Kiki Chinese Song -
Stay with You
|
|
|
|
Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
In celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2, third grade participated in some celebratory activities, including math stations based on Seuss books, and creative story writing based on Seuss characters. They also read various Dr. Seuss books, earning a stamp in their Reading Passports each time they finished a book. It was a fantastic day to honor this favorite children’s author.
Take a look at some photos on the right!
|
|
|
|
|
MPHMUN in NYC!
Last week, the MPHMUN team traveled to New York City to participate in the National High School Model United Nations Conference. Established in 1975, NHSMUN is the world’s largest and most prestigious Model UN conference for secondary school students. According to their website, this conference is long recognized for having the best substantive program on the MUN circuit. NHSMUN is known for its diverse, talented attendees, its world-class staff, its highly engaging debates, and its academically rigorous material. Approximately 2,000 students representing nearly 160 schools participated, and while NHSMUN does not give out individual awards, the MPH team received a merit award for overall performance, which means that the team as a whole performed extraordinarily well in all committees. Great job MPHMUN!
See the photo gallery on the right.
|
|
|
|
|
March MAMMAL Madness
Mrs. Yeager proudly presents: March MAMMAL Madness,
an annual tournament of *simulated* combat competition among animals. Scientific literature is cited to substantiate likely outcomes as a probabilistic function of two species' attributes within the battle environment. Attributes considered in calculating battle outcome include temperament, weaponry, armor, body mass, running speed, fight style, physiology, and motivation. After these factors are weighed against each other, the MMM organizers (mostly animal scientists) determine probability of one animal defeating another. A defeat is not necessarily “red in tooth and claw,” but could be an animal displacing another, for example. They use this probability to develop the seed, or rank, of each mammal. Then a random-number generator is used to determine the outcome. Since it is random (yet based on probability), this is how upsets can happen.
Through the scientific information embedded in the bout descriptions, participants are educated about inter-species interactions, the importance of ecological context, how natural selection has shaped adaptations, and conservation management of endangered species. This year's four divisions include: Tiny Terrors (wee, fierce critters); Cat-ish vs. Dog-ish (a rivalry as old as animals themselves); Double Trouble (animals whose genus and species name are the same, such as
Gorilla gorilla
); and AnthropSCENE (animals who have been highly impacted by humans).
Thousands of classrooms around the globe are following along and participating in this year’s event. The match-ups themselves take place on
Twitter where the bouts unfold through a detailed narrative.
Here is a link to how some of the battles played out last year.
|
|
|
|
Also this week...
While we were unable to capture any photos, we wanted to tell you about Monday's Middle School assembly. Allie Healy of Advance Media/ Syracuse.com joined students to talk about social media marketing. Since our students are inundated with social media messaging on a daily basis, we thought it might be interesting to hear more about how the industry works, why it's an important part of our society, and how it is evolving. She also provided some great tips, such as: it's okay to log off and read a book! A special thanks to Mr. Zlomek for coordinating her visit!
|
|
|
|
|
|
