Episcopal sixth graders blasted into summer with a year-end project that was out of this world. Students studied the phases and surface characteristics of the moon. After learning more about our cosmic neighbor, they then learned what it takes to get there.  
​
Science teacher Stacy Hill tapped into the latest technology to bring the Apollo missions to the students’ own living rooms. “Students used the Smithsonian Moonshot app to collect information about missions and to view the Saturn V in Augmented Reality,” says Hill. “They also used Augmented Reality to try to land a Lunar Lander on the moon to help them understand the need for the various parts of the lander.”  Hill says students used items available right at home to build their creations. The resulting builds were an exciting addition to Distance Learning. 

​Episcopal Middle School students are not strangers to exciting, hands-on science experiences. Check out previous blog posts highlighting the engaging lessons provided by Middle School faculty. To learn more about the Episcopal Middle School experience, visit the division’s webpage here.
​
https://www.episcopalbr.org/episcopal-blog/8th-grade-project-based-learning
https://www.episcopalbr.org/episcopal-blog/girls-who-code
https://www.episcopalbr.org/episcopal-blog/a-lesson-on-earthquakes-with-an-episcopal-twist
https://www.episcopalbr.org/episcopal-blog/middle-school-sowing-seeds-of-reading
https://www.episcopalbr.org/episcopal-blog/water-lesson

​“Imagine: It is May 2026. You are now 17 – 18 years old and have just graduated from high school. Your parents have decided to help you learn how to live on your own, since you are about to go away to college. To do that, they are setting you free for the summer.”

This is how sixth grade math teacher Nancy Callaway introduced students to their latest math assignment. With thoughts of independence and striking out on their own, students were tasked with managing a budget. Callaway provided mock classified listings, car advertisements and cost of living estimates. Students then determined how to manage everything without going into debt.

“I have done this project before and feel that the students who have done this walked away with an appreciation of what their parents have to do on a day-to-day basis,” says Callaway. Sixth grader Alex Messina enthusiastically agrees. “It’s basically life,” she says. “You get to be an adult and it shows you how grateful you should be to be a kid. You really gain an appreciation for your mom and dad.”

​The same was true as Alex and her roommates, Sadie Brien and Pahi Sthanki, selected an apartment. Alex says the sixth graders discussed price and square footage, which is something they may not have considered before. To round out their living expenses students also had to purchase groceries and essentials. Alex says this was her favorite part of the experience as she and her roommates got to make selections online together.

To support their lifestyles, the Middle School students had to select a job from Callaway’s classified listings. Options included jobs common among recent high school graduates. Alex chose to be a receptionist at a dental office, which paid $1,400 a month. The payment experience was yet another surprise for Alex as she learned more about taxes and deductions which left her with a little more than $1,100 a month.  Ultimately, Alex was able to successfully manage her income and expenses with approximately $100 remaining in her bank account.
​
This sixth grade lesson on independence is a shining example of how Episcopal prepares students for life. It is the crossroads between academics and application. The best part is that students truly enjoy the experience and the lesson they will carry throughout their lives. “It’s very fun,” says Alex. “It’s a good way to learn what you have to do. You’re prepared.”

Transitioning to online learning can present some challenges for everyone.  What will be critical early on is setting up a routine, and making adjustments as needed.  Coordinate with peers and adults you trust to get ideas for what is working for them.

As mentioned above, having a daily schedule will be extremely helpful.  Remember, that your school day always includes recess/break, lunch, and often P. E.  Here is a sample schedule below that can be a guide:

Our counseling team is here to support you during these times.  Please email your division counselor, or Robin Talamo (LSS Coordinator) if we can be of assistance.

Congratulations to the Middle School MATHCOUNTS team! The seventh and eighth graders won first place in the MATHCOUNTS Chapter Competition at LSU. With 13 schools and 115 students competing, Episcopal’s Autumn Reynolds placed seventh individually. The team, which is coached by Middle School math teacher James Moroney, now qualifies for the state competition. This is Episcopal’s first time returning to the state competition in many years, making the achievement even more special. MATHCOUNTS is a national organization which seeks to make learning math fun and to encourage a love of math among Middle School students. The state competition is set for March 6th in Pineville.

​Congratulations to the Episcopal MATHCOUNTS team:
Autumn Reynolds (8th)
Joie Lee (7th)
Hayden Singh (8th)
Joey Roth (8th)
Ivy Jiang (8th)
Luke Stelly (7th)
Hayden Willett (8th)
Noah Vincent (8th)
Ahebwa Muhumuza (8th)
Ayush Patel (8th) 

On Saturday, February 1st Episcopal placed 2nd in Division 1 at the Baton Rouge High Mu Alpha Theta math tournament. The tournament was attended by 222 students from 16 schools. Episcopal brought 39 students in grades 5th – 12th that competed in subjects from Algebra 1 to Calculus BC. 

​Individual Tests
Algebra 1                  
1st Luke Stelly
 
Geometry                  
2nd Joie Lee
Honorable Mention – Ahebwa Muhumuza
 
Algebra 2                  
2nd Joey Roth 
Honorable Mention – Akshay Basireddy and Autumn Reynolds 
 
Precalculus              
2nd Joy Lee 
 
Calculus BC             
2nd James Christian 
Honorable Mention – Arya Patel  

Team Tests
1st Algebra 1 – Luke Stelly, Nate McLean, Autumn Baldridge Anshu Padigala 
           
2nd Comprehensive Math 1 – Hayden Singh, Hayden Willett, Joie Lee, Rebekah Reid 

3rd Comprehensive Math 1.5 – Scott McAdams, Akshay Basireddy, Shreya Kamath

2nd Comprehensive Math 2 – Tanvi Dhaka, Aadit Narayanan, Joy Lee, Eugene Jiang

​1st Calculus A – Savannah York, Shuhei Niwano, Evan Jurkovic

2nd Calculus B – James Christian, Arya Patel, Elaine Gboloo 

1st Lower Interschool

3rd Upper Interschool 

Middle School - Sixth grade wins!
Autumn Baldridge
Ella Brien
Finn Fontenot
Reece Hinton
Airi Homma
Anshu Padigala
Daniel Piazza
Wylie Schexnayder
Pahi Sthanki

​Lower School - And the top seven teams are!

The Battle of the Books competition is an exciting way to encourage a love of reading among students. After reading the assigned books, students compete in teams to determine the Lower and Middle School division champions. Middle School students participate in a multiple-choice, short answer and puzzle round, while Lower School students compete in a multiple-choice round in the Greer Center.

Battle of the Books has become an annual event at Episcopal. This year, 23 fourth and fifth grade teams participated in the Lower School competition. Lower School librarian Catherine Word says even the younger students are aware of the event and express interest in reading the books. “Kids this age are excited about reading,” she says. “They love reading.” To ensure that the competition has something for everyone, Word chooses books from three different genres that represent different characters and reading levels. She says English teachers Liz Crawford and Margaret Boudreaux keep students motivated throughout the competition by providing time for students to read and encouraging student participation.

The Middle School Battle of the Books competition day is a lively occasion with fist pumping and chest bumping. This year, five teams competed with the sixth grade team coming out on top. Library Director Tiffany Whitehead used the competition to encourage reading and to promote library services. The winning team now has two weeks to prepare for the READgional Battle of the Books event where they will face off against Central Middle School, Denham Springs Junior High School and Runnels.

Looking for a good book recommendation for your little reader? Check out the Battle of the Books reading lists below.
Have you read a great book recently? Share the title in the comments section below.

Lower School:
“Bob” by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead
“The Trumpet of the Swan” by E.B. White
“Wedgie & Gizmo” by Suzanne Selfors

Middle School:
“Aru Shah and the End of Time” by Roshani Chokshi
“Beyond the Bright Sea” by Lauren Wolk
“Brave” by Svetlana Chmakova
“Clayton Byrd Goes Underground” by Rita Williams-Garcia
“Greetings from Witness Protection” by Jake Burt
“In the Shadow of the Sun” by Anne Sibley O’Brien
“Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus” by Dusti Bowling
“Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe” by Jo Watson Hackl
“Suspect Red” by L.M. Elliott
“The Red Bandana” (Young Readers Edition) by Tom Rinaldi

Almost completely destroyed during World War II, Minsk was rebuilt and is the most populous city in which landlocked European country?

A port city along the Indian Ocean on the Horn of Africa, Mogadishu is the most populous city in what country?
​
Located near extinct volcanic cones and home to Waitemata Harbour, Auckland is the most populous city of what island country?

If you knew that Belarus, Somalia and New Zealand were the correct answers to the questions above, you might just be Middle School Geography Bee material. This week, eighth graders Ahebwa Muhumuza, Nick Musso, Ryan Richard, Baylen Sim and Hayden Singh competed in Episcopal’s 2020 National Geographic Geography Bee on the VPAC stage in front of the entire Middle School. After five rounds of competition and a tiebreaker, Ahebwa Muhumuza was declared the Episcopal Geography Bee Champion.
​
The geography knowledge exhibited by this group of Middle School students was remarkable. “Perhaps the best aspect of the Geography Bee was that all contestants went through the first three rounds without missing a question,” says Division Head Mark Engstrom. “We also had a tie after five rounds that led to a tiebreaker.” Despite the difficulty of the questions, the answers seemed to come easy for the students. “The speed with which they could rattle off answers like Myanmar and Yemen was extremely impressive,” says geography teacher Kristina St. George. “While we study these areas in class, the students' intrinsic motivation to learn about our world goes well beyond what we do in a classroom setting.”

The competitors’ teachers weren’t the only ones impressed by the performance. As the bee progressed, the tension in the VPAC among the student spectators was palpable. Murmurs could be heard among the crowd as each student somehow correctly answered questions about remote islands or ancient civilizations. There was a sense that the students truly appreciated the knowledge on display. Once Muhumuza was crowned the winner, the tension broke and everyone enthusiastically congratulated him and the others. In speaking with the competitors, they seem humble and unphased by their geography recall. They say their knowledge is simply a compilation of information they’ve picked up throughout their studies. 
​
Now that the school geography bee is complete, Muhumuza will take an online exam in an attempt to qualify for the state geography bee in March. The winner of the state geography bee then moves on to the nationals in Washington, D.C. this spring for an opportunity to win cash prizes and college scholarships. Good luck, Ahebwa. We’ll be cheering you on!

On Saturday, January 25th Episcopal placed 1st in Division 2 at the Catholic High Mu Alpha Theta math tournament. The tournament was attended by approximately 550 students from 32 schools. Episcopal brought 60 students in grades 5th – 12th that competed in subjects from Pre-Algebra to Calculus BC. 

1st Comprehensive Math 0.5 – Luke Stelly, Nate McLean, Autumn Baldridge
1st Comprehensive Math 1 – Hayden Singh, Hayden Willett, Ahebwa Muhumuza, Ayush Patel
2nd Comprehensive Math 1 – Caroline Chick, Lauren McGrath, Shreya Kamath, Joie Lee
2nd Comprehensive Math 1.5 – Joey Roth, Ivy Jiang, Autumn Reynolds, Rebekah Reid
1st Calculus A – Allison Binning, Grace Scott, Sevie Breaux
1st Calculus B – Justin Dynes, Katie Knight, Arya Patel, Ryan Field
2nd Potpourri – Nick Johannessen, Andrea Norwood, Alex Nelson, Elaine Gboloo
2nd Middle School Interschool
1st Lower Interschool
1st Upper Interschool 

The Middle School navy boys and gold girls soccer teams are champs! Both squads won their divisions in last weekend’s Baton Rouge Soccer Association tournament.

“There is an incredible amount of talent in Middle School,” says girls soccer coach James Moroney. This talent is enhanced by the positive, enthusiastic attitudes of the players. Moroney says the girls simply love to play and always play hard. For example, he says when the goalkeeper couldn’t play due to injury, another player who had never played the position gladly stepped up and did the job. He says when needed, the leading scorers willingly played defense. “Whatever is needed for the team, they were happy to do that,” he says. Fellow coach Rhys Lopiparo says she was happy for the opportunity to work with the girls. “They always went above and beyond my expectations, and I could not have asked for a better first season of my coaching career,” she says. “I am incredibly proud of the hard work the girls put in over the past few months, and I can’t wait to see how their knowledge of the game continues to grow.”

The gold team ended the season with a perfect record of 8 and 0, allowing only one goal all season in the final contest. The navy team advanced to a semi-final match, playing what Moroney considered their best outing of the season. Moroney says the girls were supportive of each other all season, helping each other develop their skills and grow in the game.
​
When he’s not coaching soccer, Moroney, who was a high school soccer player, can be found teaching eighth grade math. He sees coaching as a way to connect with students outside of the classroom. “It’s rewarding to see them be successful,” he says. “It’s a fulfillment of the time and hard work the girls and coaches put into the season.”

On the boys side, there was also tremendous success. The navy team won the Division I trophy. Coach and Episcopal dad Paolo Messina says this championship is especially meaningful because the boys were competing in the highest and toughest division of the tournament. The tournament includes teams from throughout the Baton Rouge region and competitions are set without regard to school size. Messina says the Episcopal squads included players who have never played soccer or haven’t played in years as well as highly competitive players who are training for the next level. He says the players really played hard with several leaders developing. “Not having the entire team for any game allowed kids to get playing time and improve their skills,” says Messina. “They meshed and played well together.” Fellow coach and recent Episcopal grad Eliott Reimann ’19 agrees. “I am extremely proud of how the team grew as the season progressed,” he says. “Not in a single game this season was our full roster present, but they never made excuses and stuck to the game plan. They played with heart, and tenacity, I couldn’t have asked for anything else.”

The navy team finished the season with five wins, two losses and one tie. The team fought through several close contests to finish the tournament with a perfect 3 and 0 record. Winning the championship was the highlight of the season. “It’s a pretty big deal,” says Messina. “This is a citywide tournament. I don’t think Episcopal has ever won the tournament.”
​
Messina, who is a full-time attorney, began coaching eight years ago as a way to spend time with his own children. As a high school soccer player, he always loved the game and he found he also loved coaching. He says when the opportunity arose to coach this year’s boys squad, he was excited for the chance to get involved. “It was a pleasure to watch them win it all,” says Messina.

It wasn’t only soccer fans who were excited about Middle School soccer this season. Soccer fever swept through Middle School with the trophies shared with classmates at Morning Meeting. “While what we care the most about is teamwork, effort, and character, it’s also true that those things in combination also commonly lend themselves to success,” says Division Head Mark Engstrom. “I’m so proud of our soccer teams for their recent victories. Their effort and attention to detail has led them to where they are now, and we couldn’t be happier for them and the example they are setting for those who will come after them.”

Greek and Latin have been the cornerstone of a classical liberal arts education since the very foundations of Western Civilization. For centuries, a sound education in the classics was the hallmark of a liberal arts education. But today’s students are growing up in a different world, one of rapid innovation that is constantly looking forward, not backward. So how do you teach today’s students about the importance of their past when they are always looking forward to the next big thing?

Once students began creating their virtual bathhouses, Latuso says they let their imaginations run wild. Evidence of the enthusiasm can be seen in the images they created. One apodyterium features flickering torches and intricate details. There is a natatio that is open to the sky with lush greenery growing from the second floor. Using the book and quill feature in Minecraft, students even composed their own version of curse tablets that were found by archeologists who excavated the baths. These 21st century students have successfully brought the ancient world to life in a virtual world.

Energy, enthusiasm, focus and engagement. When it comes to project-based learning, these are the feelings a teacher hopes to elicit. The Latin Minecraft project accomplished all of this and more. “I think one of the reasons this project was fun was because it took a game that a lot of people like and play regularly and turned it into something educational that people still wanted to play,” says Messina. “It made the research more fun and the information stayed with me because I got to put it to use doing something fun.”
​
Latuso says the study of ancient languages and cultures has many benefits for students today.  “While conventional wisdom acknowledges the usefulness of Latin in improving students’ communication and critical thinking skills, our class embraced a modern twist on an ancient subject in order to personalize the experience for Episcopal students,” says Latuso.  By emphasizing 21st century project-based learning ideals, Latin students had an opportunity to transfer their knowledge of one subject to a variety of subjects through innovative problem solving. Clearly, this modern take on learning Latin resonates with today’s Middle School students. What a great example of the personalized and innovative nature of an Episcopal education.