On May 17-18, Grades 9-12 math teacher Mrs. Gail Anderson attended the annual Solve conference at her alma mater, Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. "I have been involved with MIT Solve since its kickoff event in 2015, and this was the inspiration for the research I conducted in online refugee education during my 2017 sabbatical," says Mrs. Anderson.  

The conference theme this year was "Healthy Planet, Healthy People." The mission of MIT Solve is to identify the best solutions to specific, actionable challenges through open innovation, and to build and convene a community of leaders and changemakers committed to partnering together to pilot and implement these solutions. "It's a very exciting group of people to work with," Mrs. Anderson says, "from directors of the World Bank, to executives of tech companies such as iRobot and Hewlett Packard, to leaders of UNICEF and Save the Children, to an engineer from Lichtenstein and a high school math teacher from Lansdale."

This year, the education focus question was, "How can disadvantaged youth learn the skills they need to prepare them for the workforce of the future and thrive in the 21st century?" The new topic for the 2018 challenge is, "How can teachers and educators provide accessible, personalized, and creative learning experiences for all?"

"These are both areas in which Dock has an interest," she says. "Discussions around topics such as '21st Century Skills' and 'Digital Literacy' both confirmed what we as a faculty have been talking about, and inspired me with fresh ideas and insights."

The highlight of the conference, she adds, was a plenary session by Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada. He spoke about working together to solve problems, encouraging us to embrace the rapid change in which we find ourselves, and helping to shape the change, rather than hide from it. "One thing I encourage students in my classes to do is to ask each other questions such as, 'What do you think?'" she says. "Mr. Trudeau has intentionally built a diverse cabinet for his government because he believes that 'having someone with a different perspective and different back-story working alongside you to try to solve [problems] allows you to see around those corners a little quicker and to come up with solutions.' This is just the skill we in the math department encourage our students to develop within the context of mathematics!"

Four social studies teachers, Mr. Jeff Hackman, Mr. Zach Bower, Mr. Preston Bush and Mr. Ron Hertzler, sojourned to the University of Pennsylvania Museum for a day-long seminar entitled, Engaging Students in International Issues: The Choices Approach.  We were welcomed by Ellen Owens, Director of Learning Programs at Penn Museum and Dr. Anna Viden, Program Coordinator of the Middle East Center. They explained their program at Penn and dangled the enticing proposition that we would be able to explore the museum on our own at some point in the day.

Sarah McDowell, Master Teacher from Springside Chestnut Hill Academy and Teaching Fellow in the Choices program led our workshop for the bulk of the morning. Our task was to learn pedagogical techniques that maximize student learning in the Choices program. Dock juniors are required to take a course called, Choices for Global Citizens, which uses this curriculum.  Ms. McDowell led us through an abbreviated lesson in the Middle East unit in the Choices curriculum. Being a student in this process allows us to build empathy as teachers for the students in our classrooms. We also toured a museum exhibit entitled, Cultures in the Crossfire: Stories from Syria and Iraq. This was a high-impact moment, as the exhibit combined the ancient cultures and artifacts from early history which are being destroyed in the civil war which rages across these countries. In addition to cultural artifacts being destroyed, the lives of countless people are also disrupted, and sometimes lost. T-shirts with a name and date on them were reminders of human losses. 

Ms. McDowell led us through another unit in the afternoon, entitled Confronting Genocide: Never Again. Finally, we were given free rein to roam through the expansive University of Pennsylvania museum. One can imagine how it looked to others—four social studies teachers reading all the material in the displays as we examined their exquisite collection of fabulous artifacts! We found a Clovis point, a stelae from the Mayan culture and an incredible display of Egyptian history!

Read a recent story in The Reporter about improvements at the Penn Museum

Faculty at Dock Mennonite Academy strive to inspire students to become life-long learners. One of the best ways they can do that is to model life-long learning themselves. Many of our faculty members have invested themselves in a variety of professional development activities this spring. Here are just a few examples:

• On April 28, seven Dock Mennonite Academy teachers traveled to Chatham, NJ, for a full day "Nerd Camp" focused on literacy for grades K-12. The "Nerd Camp" consisted of over 50 workshop options for teachers to attend with sessions featuring authors discussing their books, writing seminars, library resources and student engagement strategies. Several keynote speakers addressed the attendees including Penny Kittle, author of Book Love and 180 Days, which are being used as mentor texts at the high school for redesigning the English curriculum. An additional powerful keynote speaker was Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis, a first grade teacher who survived the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in December of 2012. Faculty attending included (pictured above, l to r) Mrs. Joan Grega, Mrs. Kathy Moyer, Mrs. Joy Thomas, Mrs. Kelly Kratz, Mrs. Kipp Glass, Mrs. Kaci Hunsberger and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Sharon Fransen.

• High school English and Learning Support instructors, along with Dock's Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, shared eight Friday lunches in recent months to discuss literacy expert Penny Kittle's text, Book Love. The book focuses on the concept that many students have lost the joy of reading, in part due to English instructional material mandated by schools and states. Many of the curriculums do not foster interest in reading for 21^st century students. Mrs. Kittle advocates for student personal choice in selecting literature and writing opportunities. By incorporating student choice of what they read, we as educators can increase reading fluency, speed, stamina and depth of content. A blend of teacher guided novels and materials are also inserted into instruction as well as inviting strategies to get students excited about reading and writing. The Lunch Book Club attendees included Mrs. Gretchen McTavish, Mrs. Kathy Moyer, Mrs. Rebecca Nagy, Mrs. Joan Grega and Dr. Sharon Fransen.

• In April, Mrs. Joan Grega and Mrs. Rebecca Nagy attended a full day Intermediate Unit conference entitled Writing with the "Write Guy," by nationally known literacy author, Jeff Anderson. Mr. Anderson, author of multiple books on how to engage children and young adults in the writing process, provided twentieth century techniques for motivating students to write creatively and with clarity and extensive vocabulary. Some of his techniques are already being used in Dock's high school classrooms.

• In March, Mr. Darwin Zehr, Ms. Carolyn Burgman, Mrs. Joy Thomas, Mrs. Claire Wanamaker, Mr. Marcelo Mast, Mr. Jeff Hackman, Mr.Zach Bower, and Mrs. Kathy Moyer attended the first annual Schoology ConnectPA at the Lancaster-Lebanon intermediate unit. As Dock continues to use Schoology as our primary electronic platform for school related communication and course materials, the conference provided a variety of speakers and workshops focused on many resources that Schoology has to offer.  Participants had over 25 sessions to choose from to learn and collaborate using instructional strategies focused on student learning within the Schoology system.

• Dr. Annabella Silver Moon successfully completed two courses at Montgomery County Community College: Educational Psychology, and Safety/First Aid.

• From January to April, Mr. Jeff Hackman took an online course through Eastern Mennonite University called "Creating a Tech-Rich Classroom." It was taught by Timothy Taylor of Woodstock, VA. Students were introduced to many online and technological tools to enhance the classroom experience. Projects were designed to be practical. We implemented several of the new tools and skills into classes we are currently teaching.

• Mrs. Rose Lambright and Mrs. Melanie Baker attended the Pennsylvania Family and Consumer Sciences annual conference April 6-7 in Scranton, PA.  This year's conference was titled, "Accountability, Balance, and Collaboration."  Mrs. Baker and Mrs. Lambright heard speakers from various colleges and businesses focusing on topics ranging from brain development in the teenager to making sushi in the classroom.  There was variety and depth in the programming.

• Additionally, Mrs. Baker and Mrs. Lambright attended the Montgomery-Bucks Family and Consumer Sciences Winter Warm-up at the Culinary Institute of Montgomery County Community College and the Spring Meeting at The Metropolitan.

• Mr. Caleb Benner took three courses (Data-Informed Educational Leadership, Research Methods and Education, and Teachers as Action Researchers) as he works towards a Masters in Faith-Based Education at Bluffton University. As part of the program, he conducted a research study with his freshman Bible classes studying how effectively Scripture memorization and Lectio Divina help students make personal connections with the Bible.

Colonial Day was the culmination of the 5th grade classes' month-long study of colonial America! Students worked in pairs and small groups to learn more about a colonial trade. They researched their trade, wrote an essay, and created a window display and infomercial about their colonial “shoppe,” which they presented to their classmates. The final event on Friday was our Colonial Mall Walk-Thru for families and friends. They were invited to visit the “shoppes” and hear about what the students learned. Some students even shared their informercials with visitors! The students dressed in colonial attire for the entire day and participated in a variety of colonial activities, including toys and games, embroidery, and making Johnny cakes!

More photos

Dock's EC-Grade 8 Campus held its Elementary Spring Concert on Tuesday, May 8, and it featured something for everyone. Performing were the Beginner and Elementary Orchestras, 3rd Grade Recorder Ensemble, 4th Grade Band, 5th Grade Band, 5th Grade Orff Ensemble, and 5th Grade Ukelele Ensemble. Thanks to our talented students as well as our fantastic music department—Mrs. Shelley Berg, Mrs. Katie Litzenberger, and Mrs Laura Landes—as well as Ms. Carolyn Burgman, who provided audio-visual expertise.

Visit the Spring Concert web page for complete program and more photos

Mrs. Roth's and Mrs. Glass's 4th grade students presented a "Wax Museum" this week of famous characters from past and present. Students researched, wrote and recorded biographies and gave these interesting and informative presentations for family and friends dressed as their chosen character!

More Wax Museum photos

In addition to the Commencement ceremony itself, the Senior Presentation is a signature event marking the transition from high school to the next season of life for Dock students. As part of the Communications class curriculum, every graduating senior at Dock gives a 20-minute oral presentation at the end of the year in which they reflect on their high school years and the ways they have grown academically, socially, and spiritually.

This year, those presentations will be held on June 4, 5, and 6. Family and friends are invited to support our students with your attendance.

View and download the Senior Presentation schedule

Each year, Dock's chapter of the National Honor Society takes a trip to New York City, primarily to visit the United Nations. This year, 57 students braved some wet weather to make the trip, joined by NHS faculty advisor Mrs. Gail Anderson and faculty member Mr. Zach Bower. As always, the experience was an eye-opener for students, based on some of the feedback they shared:

"The U.N. building really opened my eyes to how much our world needs. I learned about how much work goes into helping others and working with other countries. This trip inspired me to want to go on and serve others."

"I’ve always been interested in international affairs, and when I saw the diversity of people in the United Nations building, greater than anything I had ever seen before, it was fascinating and inspirational. I loved hearing everyone speaking different languages as well."

"I now have some potential career interests within the UN, so I would like to learn more about what college majors would pair well with them."

"I learned a lot more about the United Nations and the work they do there. It is so diverse and full of culture and life. I really enjoyed being there, and after taking this trip, I am considering an internship there while I'm in college."

On April 30, the EC-Grade 8 Campus hosted the Montgomery County Reading Olympics. More than 50 teams from across the county competed, answering questions about 45 books they had worked together as teams to read. Dock’s team, the Royal Readers, scored 60 points to earn a blue ribbon—awesome job!

See more photos

Artwork created by Dock students is now on display at two different events in the community:

• More than 420 pieces of art by students in Developmental Kindergarten to 4th grade will be on display through the month of May in the children's wing at the Indian Valley Public Library in Telford. There is an opening reception TONIGHT, Monday, May 7, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. featuring refreshments and prizes! The IVPL is located at 100 East Church Avenue, Telford, PA 18969. Hours are Monday-Thursday 9 AM-9 PM, Friday 10 AM - 9 PM, Saturday 10 AM - 5 PM, and Sunday 1 - 5 PM.

• Dock art students and their families kicked off the school's annual Intergenerational Art Show with a reception on May 1 at the Mennonite Heritage Center in Harleysville. The art show runs through May 25. Make time to stop by and see the beautiful artwork by both students and their family members. A special thanks to art teacher Mrs. Alice Keppley for putting this wonderful event together! The Mennonite Heritage Center is located at 565 Yoder Road, Harleysville, PA, 19438. Hours are Tuesday - Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM, and Saturday 10 AM to 2 PM. 215.256.3020

See additional photos from the Intergenerational Art Show