US History Class Visits Colonial Site
By Ben McClellan, US History Teacher
On Friday, November 7, students of U.S. History and Government enjoyed a beautiful autumn day visiting the home of founding father George Mason, Gunston Hall. The 18th century plantation home and visitors center in Mason Neck, Virginia, allowed students an intimate look into the lives of one of the most influential, and forgotten founding fathers.
Mason was a strong supporter of American independence and is best known for his work on The Virginia Declaration of Rights, a document that significantly influenced Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, and in his efforts to make sure that the Bill of Rights was added to the U.S. Constitution. Mason's fall from founding father immortality is often credited to his refusal to sign and support ratification of the Constitution. Senior Quilla Otto-Jacobs learned on the tour that "He was very quiet and reserved, which is uncommon in politicians."
Students also learned about plantation life and economies. George Mason owned over one hundred slaves and multiple plantations. Slave labor was used to build the manor at Gunston Hall, grow tobacco, corn, wheat and vegetables and produce almost all of the materials and supplies used on the plantation. Certainly George Mason existed in the complex and hypocritical circumstances of supporting the ideals of liberty and natural rights, while denying these to many others. Students were very impressed by the stately and beautifully maintained grounds. Junior Jessica Drolet observed "Gunston Hall was a mix of both showy and simple rooms and decor reflecting the personality of George Mason." Senior Stephen Wu was impressed by its "picturesque scenes."
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Senior Runners Set New Morning Pace
By Martha Pskowski '09
 On the morning of November 12, the alarms in Jonah Amster's College Park house rang a little earlier than usual. It was 5:30 am when seniors Jonah, Eamon Deely-Wood, Charlie Bailey and Martha Pskowski woke up from a short night of sleep and donned their running apparel. It was one of the coldest days of the year so far, especially in the pre-dawn darkness. Undiscouraged, they were off and running by 6 am. Their goal: to reach Sandy Spring, 13.6 miles away, by the start of school at 8:05.
The runners were not alone in their quest. Jonah's mother, Tassie, left soon after by car and met them at the 5 mile mark with water, Gatorade and words of encouragement. The run had been Jonah's idea, and Tassie was dedicated to making sure they made it through safely. Their route lead them up Adelphi Road near the University of Maryland campus and to University Boulevard. Next they turned onto New Hampshire Avenue. Spirits were high in the group of dedicated runners, who had completed their final cross country season less than two weeks before. The sun rose behind them as they ran, but the cold lingered.
The long stretch of New Hampshire finally ended at Norwood Road, home of our beloved Sandy Spring. This was the final stretch; the runners could almost imagine the warm seats in English class waiting for them. They were crossing campus towards Moore Hall just as the 8 am bell was ringing. In about two hours, they had covered a distance greater than a half-marathon. Most important of all, they made it to first period on time.
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SSFS Students to Attend Model United Nations
 This year the SSFS Upper School is sponsoring participation in the Model United Nations program. The program is under the supervision of history teacher Karen Byrne. The students will travel in February to Georgetown University, where the Model UN will be held this year.
There are about a dozen students involved in the program. They are busily raising money to help sponsor their trip (see bake sale photo, left). Each school is assigned a country and they attend the conference as a delegation from that country. The program requires a good bit of research as the group will represent the interests of their assigned nation. They are required to present their country's point of view on all issues.
Sam Schneider (09) said "I'm really looking forward to the conference. SSFS is a really tightly knit community and the Model UN provides an opportunity to interact with other students our age from different communities with different ideas and points of view."
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Guest Speakers Enrich Upper School Classes
November has seen a bevy of guest speakers joining Upper School classes. In both the History of China and Native American History classes, outside speakers came in to enrich the programs.
The China class hosted Kimberly Adler from the "Glimpses of China" summer program (photo, top left). The program provides direct personal experience of a tradition that views the world very differently from the West. Students in the program study in Shanghai during this important time to be studying China. The following week the China class was fortunate to have David Byrne, an economist at the Federal Reserve Board speak (photo, top right). David, a former teacher at the University of Virginia, is currently on sabbatical working on a paper entitled "Asian Off-Shore Manufacturing in the High Tech Sector." David is also the husband of Karen Byrne of the History Department.
 On November 18th, Karyn Wingard-Manuel from the Friends Committee on National Legislation spoke to the Native American History class. The class is involved in a political advocacy project promoting legislation pending in Congress concerning the Native American community. Karyn, a lobbyist for FCNL, helped the class focus on which issues are currently in most need of promotion. The class hopes to met with newly elected member of Congress Donna Edwards.
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