Mondays are for Moving

Every Monday, the seventh-grade classroom is quiet while its 16 usual inhabitants take to the outdoors, hiking throughout Rhode Island with Sophia’s newest educational partner, Movement Education Outdoors (MEO).

Seventh grader Layanna holds a small crab found in the salt marsh

“MEO is a program where you learn history about the land you are on. You get to learn about different types of plants, trees, leaves, and more. We have learned about plants that can make other things; for example, one time we saw a plant that makes root beer, and another plant that smells like lavender,” described seventh grader Kamil Martinez.

Founded to eliminate barriers to access, MEO provides youth of color and limited economic means with programs that encourage them to experience wellness in an outdoor environment, to become mindful stewards of their bodies and environment, and to be leaders for justice in their communities.

Social studies teacher and seventh grade advisor Nilu Syed explains: “Every week, the girls learn something that will ultimately enable them to complete progressively more difficult hikes. The first week, we learned about salt marshes and the importance of biodiversity. The next week, we learned about the importance of land acknowledgment and how the wealth of Jamestown was built on Black and Brown labor.”

“I like how we get into nature and learn about new things, like identifying rocks, mushrooms, leaves, the land we’re on, and how to hike,” said Alivia Harris. “At the end each day, we write a reflection to think about what we saw, heard, and learned.”

Reflecting on the new partnership, Head of School Maura Farrell remarked: “MEO provides an incredible opportunity for our students to access the outdoors in a way that beautifully weaves together our social justice curriculum and wellness programs.”

Seventh graders explore the salt marsh.

Women of Wisdom 2022: Career Symposium

Each year, our Women of Wisdom celebration honors courageous, wise women who make a lasting impact on their communities. On May 26, Sophia Academy students, faculty, and staff welcomed more than 40 guest speakers to share their educational and career journeys, showing our students and young graduates by example that they, too, have the inherent talent and wisdom to follow any pathway they choose.

In small discussion groups, guests answered questions pre-written by our 8th grade host committee, including: How did you learn about your current career? How do you deal with people who look at you and jump to conclusions about what you are capable of? Through your hardships, what keeps you going as a leader? What advice did your mentors give you to become who you are today?

Learn more about our symposium panelists and sponsors at www.sophia-academy.org/22wow.

Coded Treasure Hunts

What do the ancient armies of Julius Caesar and a class of modern-day middle schoolers have in common? The answer is not as surprising as you might think – it's coding! This April, Sophia Academy participated in a special Hour of Code Week, both on and off the computer.

Sixth graders Nathalia and Ivanna work together to decode the location of their secret treasure.

Science teacher Alyssa Wood and math teacher Emily Fisher collaborated to create a special assignment with a twofold goal: to demonstrate coding beyond a computer screen, and to familiarize students with how words are put into “code.” The focus of their exercise was the Caesar Cipher, a type of code attributed to Julius Caesar. In this special code, letters replace each other using a numerical ‘shift.’ For example, “A” would become “B” in a shift of 1 (since all the letters were shifted over 1). The word “here” would then become “ifsf” using this shift. Try it out for yourself. What would “school” become using a shift of one?

Students began by creating their own cipher wheels: two paper wheels, both with the alphabet written along the edge. The smaller of the two wheels was fixed to the larger with a pin, so that letters could spin match to each other. Students then practiced coding and decoding words using different shifts. Once students grew comfortable shifting letters around, Ms. Wood and Ms. Fisher gave groups of students coded messages. Once decoded, these messages led to secret treasures hidden around the school building – some were even buried in the school yard!

In addition to the sweet treats, students also found the satisfaction of breaking a code and the fun of writing their own. In each hour-long lesson groups of students used persistence, teamwork, and critical analysis to break their codes. Although they never touched a computer, the skills practiced in their Caesar cipher lesson are critical to computer coding. Teams of coders must be thorough in reading lines and lines of computer code and communicate with each other about what they find. The Caesar cipher lesson served as an introduction not only to coding and decoding, but to the soft skills that make coders successful.

Besides, at the end of the day, who doesn’t love writing in secret code?

Written by Emily Fisher, math teacher and 8th grade co-advisor

Head of School Will Step Down after Next Year

On May 23, Maura Farrell, pictured below with the Class of 2022 in fifth grade, announced that she will step down as Sophia Academy's Head of School in June 2023. In a letter to the community, Farrell wrote:

"I will always be proud of the work we have done together, and humbled by the trust you have placed in me. Even in a pandemic, we advanced our school. To ensure we remain relevant and responsive to our changing world, and that Sophia maintains financial sustainability, in the last year we established five Strategic Priorities and launched a 20th Anniversary Campaign, raising more than $4 million.

Our time together has resulted in several proud accomplishments, including strengthening our foundation, investing in our people, and broadening our programs."

The Board of Trustees has established a search committee including representation from the Trustees, staff, parents, and alumnae, and they have begun the process to recruit candidates.

To read Maura's full letter and stay updated on our Head of School search, please visit: https://www.sophia-academy.org/hossearch.

Farm Friends and Memories to Shape Our World

The Farm School’s farmers and animals are accustomed to listening for a packed school bus huffing and meandering its way up Moore Hill Road to bring young helpers for the day. On March 31, 2022, they also heard the unbridled joy of cheering girls ready to take on the possibilities of the day ahead.  Sophia Academy’s 5th and 6th graders had arrived!  

After a hiatus of two years, Sophia’s students were back. With masks, snacks, and sanitizer in tow, the farm was ours for the day to make new friends, split wood, tidy up the brush near the sugar shack, bring Fabio the goat his daily twig munchies, and softly stroke the bridge of Belle’s nose (who is a gentle and giant horse). We helped in the greenhouse, gathered eggs, groomed, milked, and snuggled up to cows. We also took turns pushing friends on the mountain swing through the morning’s fog that hid all but our voices.   

There’s a good chance that you know the Farm School is my favorite of places, a place where you can share your favorite color or your pronouns, be who you are as you are - and maybe discover something new about yourself and the world around you.  Thoughts and understanding have a way of coming into visceral focus here…like the path of our Sun’s energy into working the land to grow, gather, raise, and prepare the food that sustains us all. The Farm’s land was first Nipmuc land, the indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands.  Currently, the farmers are in collaboration with the Nipmuc to return ancestral land back to the tribe.   

Sophia’s students napped on the long bus ride home to Providence that day, hugging their parting gifts of potted daffodils, and with memories to last, to cherish, and to shape their world.  We can’t wait to go back! 

 Written by Alyssa Wood, Science teacher and fifth grade advisor 

Full STEAM Ahead as Sophia Builds an Innovative Computer Science Program

It is an exciting time at Sophia Academy as we build our computer science program! This summer, math teacher Emily Fisher attended the Brown University Bootstrap program to learn how to integrate game design into the algebra curriculum, thanks to support of our corporate partner Verizon. Director of Middle School Melissa Moniz has previously attended this program. Many of our students are taking part in Black Girls Code after school at Sophia, a program designed to provide technology education especially to girls of color.

In December, our Math, Science and Engineering, and Visual Arts departments collaborated to develop computer science projects across all grade levels, hosting an Hour of Code week. Teachers and students alike enjoyed the new opportunity and will be engaging in another Hour of Code week in April! Our budding computer science program will help students become more technologically savvy, and see science, math, engineering, and technology as a world of opportunity and possibility.

Math teacher Emily Fisher guides seventh grader Nayelys in a computer assignment.

Mentorship Spotlight: Arianna and Natasha

Sophia student Arianna met her mentor Natasha Liriano at the end of her fifth grade year at Sophia Academy. Now in seventh grade, Arianna and Natasha look forward to their weekly meetings that often involve a competitive game of Uno. Nearly half of Sophia Academy students have mentors as of February 2022, and the program is growing! Here’s what Arianna and Natasha had to say about their relationship:

Arianna, what does having a mentor mean to you?

Having a mentor means a lot to me; I can come to her whenever I don’t want to talk to my family about stuff or just talk about my life in general.  She helps me break out of my shell because I’m not used to meeting new people. She has helped me so much with my social anxiety. 

What have you learned or gained from having a mentor?

I have learned a lot with my mentor. She encouraged me to do better in school and speak my mind when I want and need to. 

Natasha, why be a mentor? Why do you prioritize taking time each week to come to Sophia to meet with Arianna?

I decided to become a mentor because I remembered how helpful it was for me to have somebody to simply talk to and not feel like you have to hold back. Being able to relate to my mentee was a plus, but each week we meet it amazes me at how much we have both grown. We began our bond 2 years ago and can't believe she will be going into 8th grade next year. She has truly become one of my best friends, we share personal achievements together. We celebrate the small and big wins we both achieve. We also push each other to overcome things we struggle with. Mine is accountability for things such as exercising. I tell her to hold me accountable to providing an update at our next meeting and I will hold her accountable for a different goal - It can be academics or it can be doing something she's been wanting to but pushing off.  
 
I prioritize my time with my mentee every week because it's the best part of my week. It helps me check in with her; she checks in with me and she helps push me to reach my goals. We laugh and beat each other in Uno. It's the best time! Sometimes we get caught up and lose track of time. If I can't make it in person, I try to coordinate virtual meetings so I don't lose any time with her.  

Have there been any moments of growth or learning for you through your mentor/mentee relationship? Any surprises? 

In the beginning, Arianna was pretty shy. Slowly, I started opening up to her about my siblings and my struggles and just laughing more with her. This helped her open up to me, and openly talk with me about classes she may be struggling with or even talk about long term goals. I knew we hit a turning point in our relationship when she was honest and open about her opinion on equality.  I loved when we talked about this because there was a certain tone in which she expressed herself in which I loved; she found her voice and it fuels her. Being able to change and make an impact is very big for her, as it is for me. While she may be shy at times, she has so much to offer and she is slowly working towards stepping out of her comfort zone. I love watching her grow into these spaces.  

SophiaCorps is open for 2022-2023 applications!

Help 60 girls soar. Join SOPHIAcorps.

SophiaCorps is a full-time residency that:

• provides hands-on professional development and training in a dynamic school setting

• prepares members for careers and graduate programs in education, youth development, and social work

• provides an Americorps education award, along with stipends to defray living expenses

SophiaCorps members serve as partners to classroom teachers, advisors, counselors, and administrators, working directly with students in one-on-one and group settings. They are mentors, role models, coaches, and tutors who contribute to Sophia Academy’s positive, supportive, strength-based environment. Our team of professional teachers and staff take a relational approach to students and colleagues; the work environment is close-knit, collegial, and open.

Read the full position description on our website.

Learning by Giving

Seventh grade Girls Coalition spent the fall learning about the the plight of women and girls seeking education in Afghanistan, and jumped in to help welcome newly arriving Afghan families in Rhode Island.

Organizing a drive for gently used clothing, school supplies, feminine products and more, the seventh graders inspired their peers with an all-school assembly that taught the 8th, 6th, and 5th graders what they have learned. The drive culminated in December with an ugly holiday sweater contest and pajama day for the entire school.

The seventh grade class surpassed their financial goal by 400%, and collected many, many boxes of items for Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island. Thank you to everyone that contributed to help new families get settled in Rhode Island. Well done Girls Coalition!

Music is a Cultural and Creative Experience

Fifth grader Inallys conducts classmates Kariana (L) and Camila (R) as they play an original composition for their music teacher, Aimee Toner.

On Tuesday mornings, the halls of Sophia Academy echo with the drumbeats of the sixth grade music class as they explore rhythms from around the world. Visit on Thursday afternoons and you will be treated to the sounds of the fifth graders rehearsing musical pieces on the recorder. And on Friday mornings, you might hear ukuleles softly offering a soundtrack to learning from the seventh grade.

With backgrounds in ethnomusicology, music teachers Lon Plynton and Aimee Toner offer students a diversity of music, widening students’ musical worldview and their understanding of how music shapes, and has been shaped, by history and culture. “Students have to know how their unique cultures have contributed to the development of music,” Mr. Plynton shared. In addition to western music, students explore music from Dominican Republic, Africa, Puerto Rico, the U.S., and beyond, diving into the history, cultural significance, and social implications.

Supported by a group of generous donors, Sophia Academy’s partnership with the RI Philharmonic music school began in 2019, growing each year to include a new class of students.

Mr. Plynton and Ms. Toner prefer to start with the students’ strengths, often beginning class with the student’s favorite songs for a practice exercise in conducting and a discussion on their interests. “Each will have a different way to connect to music and get interested. I like to offer different roles and opportunities for conducting, playing, and even composing so that the students can find different pathways to get excited, express themselves, and build their musical skills,” Ms. Toner notes.

At the end of fifth grade, students will have been exposed to musical notation, reading sheet music, composition, conducting, and much more as their curriculum culminates with a performance with the RI Philharmonic and other music classes that have participated in the LinkUp curriculum from Carnegie Hall.

On one sunny day in October, fifth graders experienced the excitement that comes from playing together as they performed “Baby Shark” perfectly in unison on the recorder for the first time. Lessons of teamwork, personal responsibility, and perseverance will stay with them long beyond music class at Sophia Academy.