Exploration and Learning: Students Share A ‘Journey Through Africa’
‘Passengers, please direct your attention out of the plane’s right side windows,’ said enthusiastic ‘flight attendant’ and Mount Madonna School (MMS) first grade teacher Cassia Laffin to her students. ‘In the distance, reaching 19,341 feet you can see Mount Kilimanjaro! And, over there, winding for thousands of miles, the remarkable Nile River!
Fifth Grade Starts Petition to Eliminate Plastic Microbeads in Personal Care Products
Fifth grade students have started a petition to eliminate the use of plastic microbeads in body care products. This is such a great lesson in grassroots civic action, so please consider signing the petition and helping them along by sharing the link with anyone and everyone!
Featured Video: Samdhong Rinpoche, Lobsang Tenzin, Former Prime Minister of the Central Tibetan Administration
See the world through our students’ eyes:
Beautiful, Brave and Inspired: Students Prepare for Creative Writing Reading
The Mount Madonna School (MMS) high school Creative Writing Reading is an annual event where students, faculty, parents and friends gather together to listen to our student writers read their works. Mark your calendars and save the date! This year it’s planned for Friday, March 20 from 7:00-9:00pm in the Assembly Room at the Upper Campus. World Religions Class Visits the New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur
Last week, the seniors’ World Religions class, led by teachers Dayanand Diffenbaugh and Shannon Kelly, journeyed to the New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur for a glimpse into the world of Christianity in a monastery setting.They were met by MMS friend, Fr. Cyprian Consiglio, now Prior of this Benedictine hermitage, who previously has come to MMS many times as a guest of Diffenbaugh’s during the class’ unit on Christianity.
Student Spotlight: Zoe Kelly
-Name, age, grade, city of residence Zoe Kelly, 17 years old, 12th, Santa Cruz -What inspires you? Ever since I
Gilroy Dispatch, Student of the Week: Imogen Cockrum
-Name, age, grade, schoolImogen Cockrum, 13, 8th grade, Mount Madonna School
-What inspires you?
I am inspired when older people and the elderly tell me stories of their younger lives. It reminds me that my present will soon be my past and it should be worth telling later on.
Read More
Third Graders Design Light-up Robots
On a recent day in The Factory, Mount Madonna School third grade students created small robot designs and added lights with small circuits made from an LED, a button-cell battery and conductive paint.
Next, using their original designs as circuit diagrams, students make larger scale versions of their robots on paper, and used copper tape, colored LEDs, button-cell batteries and on-off switches.
Trash Action: Students Cleanup Beach and Pajaro River Mouth
On Tuesday, Mount Madonna School (MMS) Pre/K, fifth and ninth grade students trekked quite far to reach the mouth of the Pajaro River. The group spent nearly two hours cleaning up along the river mouth and nearby beach, and collected 44 pounds of trash, including a tire and an old TV! Local Screen Printing Shop Donates T-shirts
When twelfth grade students at Mount Madonna School (MMS) began gathering donations for heir upcoming “global” field trip to India, student Renata Massion contacted Bill and Linda Pope, owners of The Print Gallery in Santa Cruz, a screen printing and embroidery business, to enlist their support.
