Dear Families,

We're looking forward to seeing everyone next week for Family Teacher Conferences! Please make sure that you read your grade level newsletters carefully for more information and sign-up info. This week we have even more collective student leadership accomplishments to celebrate.

Black History Month Concert at Oyster

We capped off our BHM celebration with an impressive concert at Oyster, where many of our PreK-3rd grade families (myself included) struggled to hold back tears of joy. We celebrated Bill Withers, Afro-Latin heritage in Caribbean music, and African American Jazz and Gospel. In 1st grade, Ahmed had the opportunity to sing a song in Arabic with the whole grade that his family shared with Sr. Salvador. What a gift to have representation from around the world in this community, and to embrace each other with gratitude. As Sr. Salvador said, representation matters because it teaches empathy and helps us celebrate the presence of our peers. Teaching about the ongoing gifts of the African Diaspora is an act of joy and resistance, and that concert sent a message that ALL of us needed to hear right now!

Women’s History Month Panel on Women in Sports

The HER Initiative Club at Adams took the lead on hosting a panel discussion for an Adams Student Assembly featuring remarkable women and supporters of female athletes. Panelists shared their personal stories, challenges, and triumphs in both languages. They encouraged our students to embrace resilience, pursue their passions, and break through barriers by refusing to take no for an answer. It was an empowering discussion, reminding everyone of the importance of representation and the critical role women play in shaping world of sports. Shout out to our panelists Zoe Larkey (GW Rower and Title IX advocate), Ella Adelman (GW Sailor and Captain), Jody Feder (Lobbyist Title IX Lawyer), Reese Samuel (Former Howard swimmer and swim coach), Sra. Reza (Canoer Olympian and OA teacher), Ana Mayoral (Youth Programming Director at the Washington Spirit) and Aine Kirwan (athletic trainer at Fairfax County schools). And of course, a huge thank you to Jan Schuettpelz who serves as the advisor for the HER Initiative Club!

Our incredible student organizers (Divya, Lucy, Aspen, Milan, Emilia, Olive, and Anna) drafted the questions, facilitated the whole panel on their own, and MC'ed the event! Bravo for leading learning for the whole Adams campus!

5th Grade Debate on the Spanish Conquest

Our 5th graders recently participated in a fascinating debate about the impact of the Spanish Conquest on the New World. Students researched and presented compelling arguments to discuss the complex and far-reaching consequences of the Spanish conquest in the Americas. Students demonstrated outstanding their critical thinking skills, perspective taking,  and ability to express their views respectfully. As a Latin American historian, I was deeply impressed to see the level of evidence and depth of research that students had to do to present nuanced arguments, and explore new perspectives (like taking the perspective of Spaniards who were against conquering the New World).

We are proud of the hard work, civility, and thoughtfulness that our students brought to the table, and we are excited to see how they continue to grow in their understanding of history and civic discourse! Thank you to all the families who came out to watch the debates!

Wizard of Oz Musical

Our students did an outstanding job in bringing the classic story to life, not only through their acting and singing but also by seamlessly incorporating both English and Spanish into the performance. This bilingual production provided a unique opportunity for students to connect with the material in a way that makes sense to our bilingual brains, and they rose to the challenge beautifully.

The effort and enthusiasm that went into the costumes, set design, choreography, and music were remarkable, creating an unforgettable experience for everyone involved. Shout out to that paper mache air balloon! We would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the dedicated teachers (Dr. Cruz y Srta Alfaro) and volunteers, JoDee Scissors and Alexandra Gerson, who helped bring this vision to life. Their hard work and commitment for months played an essential role in making the musical such a success!

With gratitude for our community,

Carolina Brito, Principal