The Egyptian Museum has been a part of the fourth grade curriculum for many years, but this year it is coming to an end, making way for new areas of study. The geography and landforms unit has been expanded, and more time has been added to prepare for the Greek Play, which happens towards the middle of the year. The loss of this tradition frees up a lot of time to focus on these different units and topics. 

Every year, the fourth grade would put on the Egyptian Museum, a presentation of their learning, after studying Ancient Egypt. Every student received their own topic having to do with Ancient Egypt. The students did extensive research on that topic and put together a presentation. On the day of the museum, most of the second floor was decorated with colorful drawings by the fourth graders and lined with tables, one for every student. Each student would dress up in black and white, with some other accessories relating to their topic. They would decorate their table with props and small crafts that they made for the museum as family, friends, faculty, and others walked around the museum.

“It’s really a question of trying to decide, in a very jam packed curriculum and schedule, how to make a good flow of the year for the students, so that they are building the skills they need to build and doing the projects they need to do,” Lower and Intermediate School Director of Studies Barbara Hunt said. “This was a trial for this year to see how it would go to have more time spent on their geography content and their study of Greece.”

“When the social studies curriculum is looked at over many years, society changes,” Intermediate and Middle School Head John Novick said. “The needs of society determines the work of the school.”

The Egyptian Museum also required preparation and work with which the art department helped.“The whole idea was to get a little more wiggle room,” Novick said. “They were rushing around too much, and it was becoming too stressful.”

The change seems to be bittersweet for some of the current fourth graders. “I’m sad because it looked like so much fun, and every year we get to go to it and learn about everybody’s topic,” fourth grader Kate Stauber said. “I was also a bit nervous because there were going to be so many people watching us.”

Others are excited about the change. “I didn’t want to do it because they said the studies go all the way through the winter season,” fourth grader Cecelia Maloney said. “It sounded like a bucket load of work.”