In May 2020, Mount Madonna School junior and senior students will travel to Washington, D.C. to conduct interviews with government and non-government leaders as part of the school’s Values in World Thought program. As part of the preparation for this spring learning…
Freshmen students at Mount Madonna School (MMS) have spent some time learning about forensic genetics and the structure of DNA. An unusual recent project engaged the students as “detectives,” who collaborated in small groups to solve a “crime.” Their “case” began with…
Growing Up in Santa Cruz, January 2020, Behind the Teacher’s Desk, “Look What I Made! Academic Achievement and the Creative Process in Preschool and Kindergarten,” by Hema Walker. The joyful sights and sounds of children creating their own masterpieces and engaging in…
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion formalized in his 1687 tome Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), has intrigued scientists and curious students ever since – and was the inspiration…
“What is and what isn’t ‘Art’? Whether viewing an exhibition, considering a public artwork or in the classroom, these two questions frequently spark lengthy discussions among students, artists and people of all backgrounds. Ninth grade students at Mount Madonna School (MMS) are…
Santa Cruz Sentinel, 12/16/2019, Opinon, “Waste-free Holiday Celebrations,” by Lisa Catterall. Periodically our faculty comes together to review our school’s mission statement and our three pillars of Academic Excellence, Positive Character Development, and Creative Self Expression. Often during our discussions, the idea…
Geometry in second grade? It’s never too early to introduce age-appropriate lessons in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM), and Mount Madonna School (MMS) second graders recently worked on a project linking geometry with art to create their own individual colorful…
Watsonville Patch, 12/9/2019, “5th Graders Are Marine Scientists For A Day At Santa Cruz Wharf,” by Courtney Teague. SANTA CRUZ, CA — For fifth graders of Watsonville’s Mount Madonna School, class was in session at the wharf Friday. Students learned about the…
Presented by a troupe of traveling performers in the form of a fractured fairy tale, Pippin is the story of one young man’s journey to become extraordinary. The story has an improvisational feel to it and juxtaposes scenes of great comedy and high…
I invited Santa Cruz County Second District Supervisor Zach Friend to meet with the junior and senior students primarily because of the quality of discourse that happens when he visits. The students learn a great deal about local government, which has a…
