On a recent field trip, our World Religions class had the wonderful opportunity to visit the ADAMS Center, one of the largest Muslim community centers in our area. Our visit helped to bring our classroom lessons about Islam to life. At the beginning of our visit, we received a tour of the facility from Nasir Fareed, who explained the many ways that the center serves the Muslim community. Then we had the chance to speak with Imam Daoud Nassimi, who also answered our many questions about living as a Muslim. A major highlight of the visit was observing the Jumu’ah (Friday) prayer service, during which we listened to part of the sermon and witnessed the congregation gather in prayer. To conclude the experience, the congregation showed us incredible hospitality by providing a delicious lunch of sandwiches and chicken and lamb biryani. This immersive trip was a fantastic opportunity for our students to experience interfaith dialogue, cultural appreciation, and community connection firsthand.

On Tuesday, our grade 7 and grade 8 students in Chinese traveled to the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., to participate in the International Chinese Language Day celebration. This special event provided a vibrant opportunity for students to enrich their classroom learning through a variety of interactive cultural and language experiences. The celebration featured a series of impressive performances, including traditional martial arts, music, dance, and opera. Ask your child to share their favorite highlights from the trip!