On May 26, students entered the Middle Building at Sant Bani School to discover corridors and rooms that appeared drastically different than they had the previous afternoon. Overnight, the typically barren walls had come to life, decorated with several posters and drawings about a variety of seemingly random topics.
The reason? They were a year’s worth of work for the annual K-2 Museum, which was held on May 26 and 27.
Each year, the museum has a different theme. This year’s theme was “Connections” and included a variety of connections, such as things we have in common, the food chain, and family trees, as well as connections within this year’s curriculum.
A culminating event for students in grades Kindergarten, 1, and 2, the K-2 Museum occurs near the conclusion of the school year. At the beginning of the year, students and teachers choose the topic that serves as the museum’s theme. Then, throughout the year, students research the theme and work on the display pieces and exhibits that will be featured in the museum. Finally, families visit campus for an evening of tours and presentations from the grades K-2 students, and the next day all other students are invited to tour. This instills in our youngest students a confidence in public speaking and presenting to both peers and adults, a skill that is beneficiary throughout the remainder of their time at Sant Bani School and beyond.
Additionally, students made arts and crafts for a fundraiser to benefit children of Ukraine.
This year marked the first time since 2019 that the museum was held in-person, indoors; the 2020 museum was virtual and the 2021 museum was held in “drive-thru” fashion on the track. Many students were excited to share the experience with their families for the first time.
When the theme of “Connections” was chosen in the fall, second grade students defined their idea of what a connection is. On Friday, in reflecting on the museum and their study of connections throughout the year, students gave a new definition in consideration of what they learned throughout the year. Answers include:
– “Connection is something that shows you and is something that you show. Like when you show you care about something.”
– “I used to think connection was just something people had in common, but now I think it is so much more.”
– “We could not only connect to our friends, I could connect to a book, drawings, people, or words.”
Thank you to everyone who supported this year’s K-2 Museum!