Middle School Montessori
Grades 6, 7, & 8A PROVEN RECORD OF SUCCESS
Alumni of Capitol Hill Montessori Middle School excel in every kind of high school: public, private, and charter. Many of our students attend DCPS selective criteria high schools, including McKinley Tech, Benjamin Banneker, School Without Walls, and The Duke Ellington School of the Arts. They return to volunteer alongside teachers and to share their experiences with students, inspiring them to reach their full potential.
GROWING EVERY SCHOOL YEAR
Our middle school program began in the Fall of 2014, serving one small class of 7th grade students. Since then we have grown tremendously. This school year, we support a thriving cohort of over seventy 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students and families. Right on campus with our primary and elementary students, Capitol Hill Montessori middle schoolers have a close connection to a wide variety of age groups and experiences, which creates a strong school community. Through experiences in social formation, self-expression, academic development, and purposeful work, the Capitol Hill Montessori Middle School succeeds in fostering the unlimited potential of all students.
Programs
Science
The vision of the Capitol Hill Montessori @ Logan science program is to ensure that the
students engage in meaningful guided inquiry and to nurture their wonder and curiosity about science.
The science experience in secondary classrooms resemble laboratories where students explore and use scientific methods of inquiry. CHML has one of the best-equipped middle school science labs, including student access to electrophoresis machine, skeleton, telescope, spectrograph, van de graff machine, 3-d printers, beakers, test tubes, scales, microscopes, and much more.
Students will be expected to keep lab journals, complete lab experiments, and conduct a long-term research-based experiment.
- 6th Grade – Earth Science
- 7th Grade – Life Science
- 8th Grade – Physical Science
Current and Past Community Partnerships for Science
Student science extends beyond the classrooms to community partnerships, experiential learning, and field trips:
- Alice Ferguson Foundation
- Georgetown University
- The George Washington University
- Howard University
- Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
- Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Verizon Mars Exploration Bus
- Local Hospital Surgery Exploration/Organ Observations
- Skype a Scientist Speaker Series
Field Trips
- Hard Bargain Farm
- Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
- NASA Earth Day Exploration
- National Museum of Health and Medicine
- Air-Traffic Control Tower @ Reagan National Airport
- USA Science & Engineering Fair
Middle School Subjects and Staff
Mathematics
Tulika Samal
Science
Robert Mathieu
English Language Arts (ELA)
Asheley Ollennu
Social Studies
Nora Marcus
Health and Physical Education
Jonathan Walker
Mr. Walker enjoys being a mentor to young people, serving as a positive influence for each and every student. He enjoys being able to teach them healthy habits and skills that they can use to improve the quality of their life now and in the future. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Mr. Walker came to DC to attend college at Howard University, where he earned his Bachelors in Physical Education. Outside of school, Mr. Walker enjoys exercising, reading fiction, as well as going for walks throughout the DC area.
World Language, Spanish
Mercedes Richard
Health and Physical Education, 6B Advisor
Elizabath Samball,
Music
Roxanne Cook
Ms. Cook was born and raised locally, in Falls Church, Virginia. She attended Longwood University where she double majored in choral music education and vocal performance. As a music teacher, it is her belief that all students should be offered the opportunity to discover and explore their innate potential as musicians, and to increase these natural capacities through formal music instruction. The goal of music education is not only to form an appreciation of the music of others but also to encourage children to shape their own unique musical identity, through academic study and performance opportunities. The musical arts are uniquely a safe place for young people to experience a wide spectrum of human emotions in a safe context, which can help to foster understanding, empathy, and compassion. As all cultures have some kind of music, Ms. Cook believes that music can open doors to acceptance, bring people together, promote multicultural understanding, and unite all of the people of the world. We enrich the quality of our lives when we connect with others, and there is a strong healing bond that is made when people sing or make music together. It is her goal to provide her students with that experience as much as possible! Additionally, Roxanne enjoys studying sound healing and music therapy, hiking, yoga, biology and environmental science, painting, creating and mixing music, writing poetry, reading, and musical theatre.
Art
Jennaye Fennell
Ms. Fennell was born and raised in Wilmington Delaware. As a student attending the University Delaware, she earned a Bachelors of Science in Business Management. At Wilmington University, she earned a Masters degree in Elementary Education. She enjoys working with her students because she loves to see them experience a new concept. When the light bulb goes off, it’s truly amazing. She and her students seem to make each other happy and this interaction allows learning to take place. Ms. Fennell has three children – three thriving young people who are known to come help out in the classroom. She enjoys traveling, inspiring, reading, self-improvement, and being creative. Her focus is to be happy and be the light to make others feel happy too :). Ms. Fennell has just finished her 11th year of teaching experience. It has been a joy to impact so many students to make the world a better place.