Noah S., Sixth Grade, Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation
For years, the Learning Festival has been a highlight of the school year at Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation.
During the three-day Learning Festival, held each year in February, middle school students learn about a selected theme in a fun and interactive way. It was established to expose students to extracurricular topics of relevance and interest to them. The festival is coordinated and organized by Karen Booth, assistant head of the middle school, and Kristen Wavle, middle school counselor.
The Learning Festival gives students a break from their regular curriculum and lets them enjoy the opportunity to discover a new topic. “Kids like doing things they haven’t done before,” Booth said. Former themes of the Learning Festival included survival, the 1950s, Hispaniola, Italy, Japan and this year’s topic: the 1980s, a celebration of the “bad, rad and totally gnarly.” This year’s theme also connected to KSDS’s 36th anniversary, as the school was founded in the early 1980s.
At the beginning of the year, the teachers brainstormed and voted for the upcoming Learning Festival theme. Speakers from the community are a highlight of the festival’s first day. Additionally, students are placed into groups for project-based learning experiences and interactive workshops.
Over the years, there have been some noteworthy reveals. One significant reveal occurred during the survival-themed festival when teachers dressed up as survivalists in 2014. Another big reveal was the theme of the 1950s in 2016 when one student group made a life-size 1957 Lincoln convertible out of cardboard.
“We always like to throw the kids off a little bit,” Booth says.
Some festivals also included field trips, the most memorable of which were to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and to Amish Country in Lancaster.
The teachers and faculty put a lot of time and work into the creation of every Learning Festival. Every student looks forward to the Learning Festival, a KSDS tradition that proves memorable year after year.
Jmore Juniors Noah S. and Eli S. take a look at the differences between the Jewish communities of Baltimore and Chicago.
Madeline L., a seventh grade student at Krieger Schechter Day School, writes about the phenomenon that has been Starbucks over the past half-century.
An eighth grade student at Krieger Schechter Day School, Jmore Juniors writer Micah B answers an array of questions from his peers.
Jmore Junior Eitan Beck writes about the pros and cons of having electric cars in the future.