No dog days allowed.
Global Do-Gooders at Our Best!
This year, MSD has partnered up with the Freedom to Roam organization. Freedom to Roam is a coalition of the best in business, government and conservation to raise awareness and commitment about the need for wildlife corridor conservation while setting new and innovative industry standards for wildlife friendly practices on the ground and in the water. Freedom to Roam’s goal is to ensure the long-term survival of North America’s wildlife by conserving essential wildlife corridors so animals can continue to roam. By making connectivity a top environmental issue and by engaging business to play a critical role in conserving wildlife corridors, Freedom to Roam creates conditions necessary for the success of corridor habitat conservation projects across North America.
This year migration takes center stage as the hub of student learning. Migration ranks as one of the world’s and nature’s most visible and widespread wonders. Every minute of every day, somewhere, some place, animals and people are on the move. In the animal kingdom, migrants span from whales and terns to dragonflies and crabs. Different species migrate for different reasons. Some set off on their journeys to find food, while others set off to reach their breeding grounds. Others abandon the environment where they were born when living conditions change. In human populations there are reasons for migration from economic, political, marital, and tradition. This MSD “learning lens” allows students to connect their learning in a more meaningful way and thread disciplines of science, culture, language, math as well as specials and service. The latest research on the human brain indicates that the brain searches for meaning and patterns; an integrated curriculum experience leads to quicker and easier recall, stronger skills application, integrated knowledge base, greater depth and breadth of learning, and more ability to explore. MSD students feel engaged with their learning as they make connections across disciplines and with the world outside the classroom.
The global economy, technological advances, and expanded mobility and networking have led to an increasingly interdependent world. MSD has the opportunity to educate students to become leaders in this new global environment; our students experience an education that offers diverse and integrated knowledge through meaningful experiences, cultivating relevant skills for the 21st century. Our school mission seeks to empower our students, as well as our whole community to reach its full potential and be solution seekers, innovators, partners and “global do-gooders.” Our curriculum in turn prepares students to think critically and creatively through subject integration and connected patterns across subject disciplines. In the MSD learning environment, ideas are taught in concert throughout various subject areas and tied to field trips, and service.
Check out the Freedom to Roam website to learn more!
