Experiential Learning at SSFS

As a complement to the "Inside/Outside" student-led art exhibition at the Sandy Spring Museum, Upper School students led two art workshops for kids: "Little Figures, Big Stories: A Workshop in Clay, Culture & Creativity" and  "Stamped Stories: A Printmaking Workshop." Students developed valuable skills in collaboration, leadership, and creative problem-solving—culminating in an exhibition and workshops that truly reflected the students' vision and voices

On Sun., Nov. 9, SSFS Quiz Bowl team members Justin C. ’26, Nate M. ‘26, and Ian D. ‘26, accompanied by their fearless coach Eduardo Polon, varsity teammates, and a host of SSFS supporters, won the opening round of WETA's It's Academic for the 11th time in 13 years! SSFS scored 575 points in defeating Whitman High School (495 points) and Landon School (445 points). On the heels of this success, the SSFS Quiz Bowl Team delivered its most commanding performance of the season on Nov. 13, completing a decisive 3–0–0 sweep in Round 3 of the Montgomery Academic Beltway League (MABL) with victories over Wheaton, Gaithersburg, and Sherwood high schools. The results propelled the ‘Beests to an impressive 17–2–0 overall record and 8–1–0 mark in the MABL. See below for details!

Students in the MS Design Thinking class designed car models incorporating safety features, then put their cars to the test with eggs inside to see if their features were effective!

The Upper School Writing Center has re-launched! The Writing Center provides peer tutoring and support for students' various academic writing projects. Selected by their teachers not only for their writing skills, but also for attributes such as patience, curiosity, empathy, kindness, and responsibility, the Upper School Writing Coaches have been trained to assist their peers and support writers at any stage of their writing process, from conferencing to polishing.

On Oct. 24, the 7th grade took a class trip to Calleva, where they participated in team-building activities and learned more about about the benefits of sustainable farming practices.

Of all the garden tasks, none bear more responsibility and consideration than the initial layout of a new garden design. Each set of beds, or blocks, needs an 8’ wide path for tractor or cart access. The crucial math game becomes how to most efficiently lay out as many beds and access paths as possible, while maintaining a workflow that makes sense and is conducive to a large group of people safely moving about at the same time. Enter the 6th Grade, who used math to create proposals for laying out as many beds as possible. Read more in Farmer Franny's latest blog post!   

Yuba's Upper School Multivariable Calculus class students combined their study of parametric and polar equations with aesthetic art concepts to create unique designs. 

As part of the MS annual fall trips and experiential learning, 8th graders visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture in D.C., and the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.

Fourth graders took part in team-building activities on our on-campus low ropes course, hiked to the Sandy Spring while cleaning up trash, journaled, and enjoyed a beautiful fall day.

SSFS 1st and 2nd graders have started their apple-themed cross-curricular unit, which incorporates history, geography, science, art, graphing, and math.

Francis Zell '00 recently took on the role of Farmer Educator at SSFS and has been working tirelessly with SSFS students to help tame the wild weed overgrowth and design and plant hilled beds on our community farm. Read the Farm Blog to see the tremendous progress they've already made!  

The Class of 2029 stayed at Bretton Woods for their three-day camping trip last week, where they hiked, canoed, zip-lined, and enjoyed games, laughter, and campfires together.

7th grade scientists have been learning about the layers of the Earth's atmosphere and are creating models to help them visualize and understand each layer.    

Lower School students (and Upper School Farming for Fitness students) have been visiting the farm regularly to learn more about soil health, help with weed control, and plant hilled beds.

Learning doesn't stop just because it's summer! SSFS students pursued their passions and interests throughout the summer months, participating in various academic, leadership training, language immersion, and arts programs here in the DMV region and around the world. As lifelong learners, our faculty and alumni shared accomplishments, too. 

During the 2024-2025 school year, students at SSFS worked with art teachers Shellie Marker and Michelle Puhl-Price to explore the theme of cultural and family traditions through art. Ashley Chih, Elvy Engdahl, Cecilia Gang, Emily Mauser, Fifa Houdje, and Sienna McGavern formed the “museum team,” curating and learning how to put together a public art exhibition, and starting Sep. 28, the works of SSFS students will be exhibited at the Sandy Spring Museum! Community members are invited to the opening reception on Sunday, Sept. 28, from 1-3 PM. Save the dates for two other special museum events:

• Sunday, October 12, 2-4pm: Little Figures, Big Stories: A Workshop in Clay, Culture & Creativity led by Ashley, Sienna, and Fifa (This workshop is designed for elementary-age children; please register in advance.)
• Sunday, November 9, 2-4pm: Stamped Stories: A Printmaking Workshop led by Cecilia and Emily (This workshop is designed for elementary-age children; please register in advance)

As part of a 9th Grade English project, each student selected a member of the SSFS community to interview, creating a short, curated vignette (similar to the Humans of New York project by Brandon Stanton). The project aimed to capture a glimpse of something important to the subject, or who the subject is. Students recorded the interview, asking specific, targeted questions to evoke the story, then transcribed the entire interview before curating it for presentation, with the goal of staying true to the story and maintaining the subject's unique voice. Presented together, the vignettes provide a snapshot of our community, capturing our uniqueness and our shared humanity.

Sixth graders recently conducted a water study in the stream behind our campus. After taking temperature readings, they collected various specimens in the stream. Good news: they found water pennies, which is an indicator of healthy water! 

Save the date of May 28, 6:30–8:45 PM, to watch students culminate their Senior Passion Project experience with a presentation about their chosen topics, sharing reflections about the process and what they learned with the SSFS community. In advance of the May 28 presentations, the SSFS community is also invited to the premiere of the film, Gifts from the Lived: A Documentary About the Music We Inherit, the Grief We Carry, and the Healing We Face, by two of the Senior Passion Project participants, Jalynn Smith and Jiya Taylor. The film premiere will take place on Saturday, May 17, in the PAC, with doors opening at 6:30 PM.

SSFS community members packed the bleachers at the 2025 Sheep and Wool Festival on May 4 to cheer on the five students in Heidi Brown's Weaving and Fibers class who participated in the "Sheep to Shawl" competition. The three competing teams managed to shear a sheep, card and spin the wool into yarn, and then weave it into a shawl in less than three hours—and our team's shawl was the first off the loom! Read more about student and staff participation in the Sheep and Wool Festival, including the Skein and Garment Competition.

The 8th Grade enjoyed white-water rafting and spending the night at Mar-Lu-Ridge Retreat Center, while the 6th Grade spent the night at Little Bennett Campground and got to spend time at the Adventure Park at SSFS. The 7th Grade trip is May 19-20.

The Quiz Bowl Team earned an impressive It’s Academic semifinal-round victory against GDS and BCC on Sat., Apr. 5. From an original field of 81 schools, the team advanced as one of the top three school teams in the Greater Washington DC Metropolitan Area Championship round. On Sun., Apr. 6, they finished their season in 2nd place overall. With an overall record of 32-7-0 across all interscholastic formats of play (including earning the bronze medal in the extremely competitive MABL league), SSFS once again finished fittingly among the top academic programs in the Metropolitan DC area.

After months of planning and anticipation, Upper School students, faculty, and staff embarked on Intersession Week from March 17-21. From groups that travelled internationally to those that immersed themselves locally in service, art, history, and experiential learning, it was a wonderful week of community, adventure, and hands-on learning for all. Read about their experiences on the 2025 Upper School Intersession blog page, which was updated throughout the week. 

Middle School Immersion Week was a great success, with students enjoying diverse workshop offerings from March 17-21. Students rotated between three workshops each day, from topics that ranged from geography and geocaching to STEM challenges, farming, and podcasting. It was a great opportunity to interact with students and teachers from different grades, learn more about topics of interest, and have fun! On Friday, before early dismissal, middle schoolers participated in an "Immersion Week Showcase," which included a fashion show from the "GnuFlix" fashion challenge!