Open-House-Handouts - Capitol Hill Cluster School

About the Capitol Hill Cluster School
Officially formed in 1986, the Capitol Hill Cluster School got its start in 1974 when Principal Veola Jackson
initiated a series of changes in several Capitol Hill schools. Now recognized as one of the District’s best
public schools, the Cluster School is one school on three campuses that offers the opportunity for
academic success to all students right in their own neighborhood.
The Capitol Hill Cluster School is a DC public school that serves children from age 3 through 8 th grade. Set on
three campuses (and expanding to a fourth for 2010-2011), the Cluster School provides a cohesive educational
philosophy that strongly emphasizes literacy, independent thinking, and a love for learning. Academic programs
range from “traditional” to Reggio Emilia to Montessori, and all of the classrooms use the responsive classroom
technique and promote learning environments where students can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Students’ experiences find expression in the school’s mission statement:
Graduates of the Capitol Hill Cluster School value the arts, community involvement, diversity, and a healthy lifestyle, and have
the critical thinking, writing, problem solving, and interpersonal skills needed to attend the high school of their choice, in
preparation for success in college and life.
The Cluster School is comprised of five programs on three campuses, and will be expanding to a fourth campus for
the 2011-2012 school year. The programs available at the Cluster School are:
Peabody Early Childhood Center: Pre-K 3, Pre-K 4, and Kindergarten
School-Within-School Reggio Emilia Program at Peabody: Pre-K 4 and Kindergarten
Watkins Elementary School: Grades 1 to 4, expanding to include 5 th grade for the 2011-2012 school year (the
elementary school for all Peabody and SWS students)
Montessori at Watkins: Pre-K 3 to Grade 4, moving to the Logan Campus (215 G Street NE) for the 2011-2012
school year
Stuart-Hobson Middle School: Grades 5 to 8, 5 th grade will move to Watkins for the 2011-2012 school year (the
middle school for all Cluster students)
With excellent teachers and administrators and a large and active PTA, the Cluster School is often given the
opportunity to participate in cutting-edge educational programs. The entire Cluster has been engaged since 2006 in
an Arts Integration Program that brings artists into the schools and takes children to performances outside of the
schools. Each campus has also benefitted from the School Libraries Project of the Capitol Hill Community
Foundation, which brought state-of-the-art library/media centers into each building. Our schools are on the
cutting-edge of developing urban schoolyard gardens as an extension of classroom learning, and students explore
the city during frequent field trips to Washington’s many museums, theaters, and historical sites.
Peabody Early Childhood Center 425 C Street, NE WDC 20002 698-3277
School-Within-School at Peabody 425 C Street, NE WDC 20002 698-3283
Watkins Elementary School 420 12 th Street, SE WDC 20003 698-3355
Montessori at Watkins 420 12 th Street, SE WDC 20003 698-3355
Stuart-Hobson Middle School 410 E Street, NE WDC 20002 698-4700
www.capitolhillclusterschool.org

Peabody Early Childhood Center
Peabody Early Childhood Center is a developmentally-appropriate, literacy-centered instructional
program that prepares children socially, emotionally, and intellectually for first grade. Children spend up
to three years at Peabody before going to our Watkins campus for grades one through four (expanding to
5 th grade for the 2011-2012 school year). The Peabody campus houses two excellent programs: the
“traditional” program on the first and second floors and the “School-Within-School” Reggio Emilia
program, housed on Peabody’s third floor. This page describes the “traditional” Peabody program.
At Peabody Early Childhood Center, we focus on personal, social, and intellectual development while ensuring that
students acquire the skills and knowledge required for first grade. We believe that children learn best when they are
actively engaged in exploration. A significant portion of the classroom experience is based on an exploration of
self, community, and nature.
Classes
The school has two Pre-K 3 (formerly “pre-school”), three Pre-K 4, and three kindergarten classes. Pre-K 3 classes
each have 15 students, 1 teacher, and 1 paraprofessional. Pre-K 4 and K classes each have 20 students, 1 teacher,
and 1 paraprofessional. Students remain with the same class for their Pre-K 4 and kindergarten years at Peabody.
A Typical Day at Peabody
The Peabody school day begins at 8:45am and ends at 3:15pm. Classes start the day with Morning Meeting, which
sets the tone for the day, allowing students to greet and share with one another, review the daily agenda, and get
their minds and bodies moving. Throughout the day, children participate in activities in large and small groups;
independently and with teachers; quiet, noisy, messy, neat, and everything in between. Children learn language,
mathematics, and science through books, music, art, block play, cooking, games, and dramatic play. Classes eat
together, have rest time, and enjoy daily recess, as well as activities in our school gardens. Classes also take trips to
local parks, libraries, museums, and gardens.
Each day, children have the opportunity to attend a “Specials” class which may include art, music, movement,
Spanish, and library. Library classes follow a thematic approach to instruction, immersing the children in literature
that encourages a love of reading and a deeper content knowledge. In the art studio, students are introduced to a
wide variety of materials to feel and use in order to develop visual literacy and express creativity. Movement and
music classes provide further opportunities for creative play and expression of self.
Learning at Peabody
The basis of the Peabody curriculum is the DCPS Content Standards, which can be found at www.dcps.dc.gov
(under “In the Classroom”). Teachers draw on research-based, developmentally appropriate practices to create
engaging learning activities that introduce literacy and mathematics concepts. During instructional time, children
visit centers to interact with different activities and materials. Children participate in activities with their peers and
with teachers.
The classrooms are rich in printed material and children are encouraged to use letters, words, and numbers as they
express interest in writing on their own. Literacy development is woven into the daily schedule as children hear
stories and poems, listen to audiotapes, and follow directions when they use the computer and document their
personal experiences. The Peabody literacy curriculum combines phonics instruction with language and literaturerich
activities aimed at enhancing meaning, understanding, and a love of reading.

Arts Integration and “The Story of Food”
Visual and performing arts are an integral component of the curriculum and instruction at the Peabody campus.
During the 2009-2010 school year, Peabody partnered with the Phillips Collection for a study of Georgia O’Keeffe’s
art. The program included opportunities for students to create their own O’Keeffe-inspired artwork, as well as
work with a professional story-teller to write and illustrate their original stories based on Georgia O’Keeffe
paintings.
The learning theme for Peabody students during the 2010-2011 school year is "The Story of Food," which is
reinforced in all classrooms and “Specials.” Classes engage in a variety of hands-on and literacy-based activities
related to food in our families and food traditions; gardens, farms, and markets as sources of food; cooking and
eating healthy local produce; and growing healthy bodies. Students plant, nurture, observe, and harvest their own
edible gardens and prepare healthy and delicious recipes with a nutrition expert. Children tell their stories of food
through music, storytelling, movement, and art. Students sketch the plants as they grow, as well as use the plants as
models for still life paintings. Children also design and create clay dishes. Students observe and graph data about
the size and shape of different foods to determine what type of dish they would like to make. Students read
informational text, such as recipes, as well as literary text, such as stories about food and artists.
The Importance of Play
The position statement from the National Association for the Education of Young Children states that, “Play is an
important vehicle for children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development, as well as a reflection of their
development.” In Peabody classrooms, children learn through play by participating in activities and with materials
that are hands-on and use a variety of skills. For example, during a cooking project students use math to count
eggs, then apply scientific understanding to observe how the eggs change as they are heated, and finally they use
language to describe how the eggs taste. Unit themes guide what materials are available in each choice area, as well
as group activities and field experiences.
Responsive Classroom
Peabody, like the rest of the Cluster School, uses the Responsive Classroom technique to help children learn essential
social skills. This research-based approach to teaching encourages cooperation, empathy, responsibility, selfcontrol,
and problem-solving. The Responsive Classroom approach is based on the ideas that the social curriculum is
as important as the academic curriculum and how children learn is as important as what they learn. In our
classrooms, children help create the rules and discuss logical consequences; teachers use positive language and
model expected behaviors; and teachers and students work together to resolve problems. Each day begins with a
Morning Meeting and includes an opportunity for students to make academic choices. Family involvement is
another important piece of the Responsive Classroom. For more information, please go to
www.responsiveclassroom.org.
For more information about the Capitol Hill Cluster School, please go to www.capitolhillclusterschool.org.

The Montessori Program
The Capitol Hill Cluster School is pleased to provide a wide variety of educational opportunities to
children, including the Montessori program at the Watkins campus. The Montessori program provides a
unique learning environment where students, under the guidance of specially-trained teachers, explore
their world within a structured but creative framework.
Developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, the Montessori classroom is based on the idea that no human being is
educated by another person – he must do it himself or it will never be done. Natural curiosity about the world and
self-motivation are key elements to the Montessori ideal.
When entering a Montessori classroom, two things are immediately apparent: the mixed-age grouping of children
and the child-sized learning materials. Both of these are key elements in the Montessori approach. The mixing of
ages allows the more experienced children to share their knowledge and capabilities with the younger children, while
the child-sized materials allow for ease of manipulation. Montessori classrooms also foster exploration and indulge
a child's natural desire to work and learn. Through their own independent work, Montessori students develop
concentration and persistence through self-motivation and self-discipline.
Classes
The Montessori program at Watkins includes five primary (ages 3-6) and two elementary classrooms (ages 6-10).
With our move to the Logan building, which is planned for summer 2011 (more on this below), we hope to expand
our current configuration to allow more students into the program at the primary and elementary level, and possibly
to grow to include an Erdkinder (i.e., middle school).
The Montessori program enrolls children generally only at age 3; parents are advised that the Montessori programs
run in three- to four-year cycles and they are committing to the first cycle when they sign up for this program. In
order to receive the full benefit of the Montessori approach, students need to complete each three- to four-year
cycle that they begin. Students over the age of 3 may be admitted, provided they have a background in the
Montessori approach.
The Montessori Environment in a Primary Classroom
The Montessori primary classroom is arranged by subject areas, which include:
Practical life
Sensorial
Language
Mathematics
Cultural
Children in a Montessori classroom are free to explore activities in any of the subject areas, assuming they have had
exposure to the activities therein, and there is no limit to how long a child can work on an activity or in a work area.
Note: The focus of this hand-out is the primary Montessori classroom. Information on the structure and routines of the elementary
classroom is available upon request.

A Typical Day for the Montessori Primary Student
For the primary classrooms, the Montessori school day begins at 8:45am and ends at 3:15pm. The 3-hour work
cycle is the foundation of the morning routine in the primary classroom. During this time, children may either
receive individual or small group lessons from the teacher or choose from a variety of self-directed activities that
encourage intellectual contemplation, creative expression, or quiet socialization. The morning work cycle also gives
children the opportunity to experience the satisfaction of independence and responsibility as they choose their own
work, prepare their own snack, and clean up afterward.
For Montessori teachers in the primary classroom, the morning work cycle also provides an opportunity to observe
and assess each child's interests and progression both academically and socially. The Montessori teacher uses
his/her daily observations to guide each child's work. For example, by comparing observations over time, a teacher
is able to determine which children are achieving a level of deep concentration and mastery of a particular subject.
These observations allow the teacher to support each child - as well as the entire class - in their social development.
Additionally, Montessori teachers continually assess the prepared environment, which is designed to "call the child
to work." Dr. Montessori believed that children have a natural love for work and a strong desire to become
independent. Thus, the motto for the Montessori child is "teach me to teach myself."
The morning work cycle in the primary classroom ends at 11:30am with a second group session, where teachers and
children gather to discuss topics related to their work and/or for story time. At 12:00pm, the primary children eat
lunch in the classroom. At 12:30pm, they break for recess, either on the playground or in the classroom in the
event of rain. Afterwards, the youngest members of the primary classrooms adjourn for naptime (1:00pm -
3:00pm), while the older primary students return to class for an afternoon work cycle.
Our Move to the Logan School
After 20 years at Watkins Elementary, the Montessori program is moving to its own building, the Logan School at
215 G Street NE (near Union Station and Stuart Hobson Middle School), beginning with the 2011-2012 school
year. This is a very exciting time, as the move will allow for significant expansion of the program, which has always
been in very high demand among District families.
The move is a part of the school system’s plan to improve and strengthen Ward 6 Middle Schools. Though some
of the details are still being finalized, the move to Logan is expected to eventually allow the program to expand the
number of primary classes and, likely, to increase the number of elementary classes. Because of space limitations at
Watkins, the program could not expand any further in its current home. The school system is also examining the
possibility of continuing the program through the middle school years, called Erdkinder. Additionally, the
expansion will help to reduce the lengthy waitlist for our program; last year almost 400 applicants were placed on
the waitlist.
To learn more about the Montessori program, the move, and the expansion please visit
www.watkinsmontessorischool.org.
For more information about the Capitol Hill Cluster School, please visit www.capitolhillclusterschool.org.

The Reggio Emilia Inspired Program at School-Within-School at Peabody
The Cluster School is pleased to provide a wide variety of educational opportunities to children, including
the Reggio Emilia inspired program at the School-Within-School at Peabody (SWS) on the 3 rd floor of the
Peabody campus. SWS provides a unique learning environment where students, under the guidance of
specially trained teachers, explore their world within a structured but creative framework.
SWS is inspired by the philosophy and practice of the Reggio Emilia pre-primary schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
The SWS curriculum incorporates the framework of the Reggio approach and Responsive Classroom along with a
coherent, developmentally appropriate approach to literacy, mathematics, science, and social studies to achieve the
standards of learning established by DCPS. The SWS adaptation of the Reggio approach includes a focus on
collaborative learning, creativity, and problem solving, as well as physical, social, emotional, and academic
development.
There is a strong emphasis at SWS on the use of materials and on the integration of the arts in the daily activities of
the child. The art studio and the art teacher play an important role in supporting classroom projects and providing
opportunities for children to learn how to use a wide variety of tools and materials to represent their ideas. Art is a
core subject that helps children represent their knowledge symbolically through “The Hundred Languages,” which
is a core principle of Reggio Emilia inspired instruction referencing the wide range of ways that children
communicate and represent their understandings, feelings and creative selves. The SWS approach is based on a
strong image of children who are competent, intelligent, creative, curious, “strong and powerful . . . unique, having
rights rather than simply needs . . . having potential, plasticity, the desire to grow, curiosity . . . and the desire to
relate to other people and to communicate.” - Carla Rinaldi. SWS believes that children learn within a social
context and are active participants in the formation of their own ideas and their understanding of the world.
SWS at Peabody is a teacher-directed DC Public School. It operates under the direct authority of DCPS. The
seven teachers are responsible for the management and supervision of all school functions including personnel,
enrollment, budget, curriculum and school climate. The program takes full advantage of the facilities available at
Peabody, utilizing the library, gardens and other resources.
Classes
The school has two pre-kindergarten classes (age four) with twenty students each and two kindergarten classes with
twenty-two students each. Each classroom has one teacher and one paraprofessional. Students remain with the
same teacher for their pre-kindergarten and kindergarten years at SWS before moving to Watkins Elementary for
first grade.
A Typical Day at SWS at Peabody
The SWS school day begins at 8:45am and ends at 3:15pm. No part-time or half-day options are available. The
schedule for each classroom is developed by the classroom teacher with the needs of the students in mind. All
classes conduct a Responsive Classroom-formatted morning meeting. The morning is a mix of literacy time, small
and large group work, project work, and student-chosen center work. Because of the SWS focus on transdisciplinary
learning (meaning the integration of core subjects such as reading, math, science and social studies
throughout the day rather than in blocked off specialized classes), the aforementioned activities are the core of the
instructional day. Both a movement and music class are offered for each classroom twice a week for fifty minutes
at a time and students visit the state-of-the-art Peabody library once a week. The time in music class is focused on
helping each child reach their potential in discovering their own musicality. Children explore musical instruments,

learn and create new songs, and produce an end-of-the-year CD showcasing their work for the year. Movement
class helps children understand how their bodies move and change while providing the students with a way to
purposefully demonstrate their understanding of the world in a more physical way. Library classes follow a
thematic approach to instruction, immersing the children in literature that encourages a love of reading and deeper
content knowledge. During lunch, children either buy a school lunch or have a lunch provided from home. They
eat in their own classrooms at small tables with their classmates. Afternoons are spent at recess, working on project
work and taking a rest before dismissal time.
Learning at SWS
The basis of the SWS curriculum is social constructivist learning: children developing through cooperative social
interactions with peers that involve dialogue and positive discourse. Through play, interactions within the learning
centers, child- and teacher-guided dialogues, small and large group settings, and child-centered projects, students
achieve and master the DCPS Learning Standards (which can be found at www.dcps.dc.gov under “In the
Classroom”). Teachers draw on research-based, developmentally appropriate practices to create engaging learning
activities that introduce literacy and mathematics concepts. During instructional time, children visit centers to
interact with different activities and materials. Children participate in activities with their peers and with teachers.
The classrooms are rich in printed material and children are encouraged to use letters, words, and numbers as they
express interest in writing on their own. Literacy development is woven into the daily schedule as children hear
stories and poems, listen to audiotapes, and follow directions when they use the computer and document their
personal experiences. The SWS literacy curriculum combines phonics instruction with language and literature-rich
activities aimed at enhancing meaning, understanding, and the love of reading.
The Importance of Play
Play is an extremely powerful tool that helps to unfold the potential of young minds and supports early cognitive
development. In play, children test their growing theories and develop language through rich dialogue and
discourse enveloping those theories. Play requires self-regulation, cooperation, sharing, and interaction with peers
supporting relationship building. Children learn to sustain work on age-appropriate, interesting tasks through play.
In addition children learn to persist, show curiosity, flexibility, motivation, and inventiveness in thinking, as well as
to develop problem-solving strategies. Through play children begin to make connections between every day
experiences and apply this knowledge to similar situations. They begin to plan, construct and represent ideas. Play
is an authentic way for adults to observe and better understand the physically symbolic representations of children’s
beliefs and ideas. “Play is the work of children.” – Maria Montessori
Responsive Classroom
SWS uses the Responsive Classroom curriculum framework to enhance the social, emotional, and academic growth
of students in a strong and safe school community. We embody the seven guiding principles of Responsive
Classroom:
• The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum.
• The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction.
• To be successful academically and socially, children need a set of social skills: cooperation, assertion, responsibility,
empathy, and self-control.
• Knowing the children we teach -- individually, culturally, and developmentally -- is as important as knowing the
content we teach.
• Knowing the families of the children we teach and working with them as partners is essential to children's education.
• How the adults at school work together is as important as their individual competence: lasting change begins with the
adult community.
For more information about School-Within-School at Peabody, please go to www.schoolwithinschool.org.
For more information about the Capitol Hill Cluster School, please visit www.capitolhillclusterschool.org.

Watkins Elementary School
Watkins prepares students from grades one through four (expanding to include fifth grade for the 2011-
2012 school year) to continue to our middle school campus at Stuart-Hobson. Students come first at
Watkins Elementary School. The Watkins Elementary School staff works to assess each child’s needs and
talents and provides them with the tools to be both fulfilled and successful. The Watkins curriculum
strongly emphasizes literacy, independent thinking, and learning, utilizing Responsive Classroom
methods and guiding students through an exploration of their world with the use of books, art,
technology, field trips, and hands-on projects.
The Watkins curriculum is carefully designed to help students meet their academic goals without sacrificing their
need for creativity and self-expression. Teachers provide opportunities for students to investigate their world,
answer questions, and inform others. Each day when a student enters Watkins, that child is able to learn, explore,
and grow in a safe and comfortable environment – a place where all children can achieve.
Classes
There are five 1 st grade classes, five 2 nd grade classes, five 3 rd grade classes, and four 4 th grade classes at Watkins. For
the 2011-2012 school year, 5 th grade will move to Watkins from Stuart-Hobson. This move is possible because the
Watkins Montessori program will be moving to a new building – the Logan School building at 215 G Street NE.
The average class size at Watkins is approximately 20 students.
A Typical Day at Watkins
A typical day at Watkins will involve a wide variety of activities, in both large and small group settings. By having a
low class size, our teachers are provided plenty of opportunities to provide individual instruction throughout the
day. In addition, students may receive extra academic support or participate in accelerated studies in small groups
outside the classroom.
The basis of the Watkins curriculum is the DCPS Learning Standards, which can be found at www.dcps.dc.gov
(under “In the Classroom”). Like all DC Public Schools, Watkins uses the University of Chicago’s Everyday
Mathematics curriculum (www.everydaymath.uchicago.edu) which has been shown to be highly effective in
improving math skills. Everyday Mathematics emphasizes the application of math to real world situations; uses
multiple methods to teach each math skill; and encourages students to explain and discuss their approach to solving
math problems. Literacy is the cornerstone of the Watkins curriculum, interwoven into every subject area from
mathematical word problems to scientific theories to autobiographical stories.
Students have a “specials” class each day. Students receive instruction in one of six subject areas: Art, Music,
Computer, Science, Library, or Physical Education. The specials classes reinforce and enhance the academic
curriculum in each grade. For example, computer class not only teaches computer skills, but also reinforces literacy
and math skills through computer activities. Students also have daily recess supervised by teachers.
Arts Integration
The Cluster’s Arts Integration Program fosters a greater understanding and appreciation of the fine and performing
arts and uses the arts as a tool to help students learn a variety of other subjects such as literacy, writing, math, and
science. The program brings artists into the school to work directly with children and provides opportunities for
children to attend performances outside of the school.

One example of arts integration at Watkins is the Young Playwrights Theater In-School Playwriting Program, which recently
received a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from first lady Michelle Obama. Fourth grade
students explore playwriting, revision, and performance with professional playwrights, actors, directors, and
teaching artists. Students learn the importance of language structure, grammar, spelling, and vocabulary choice as a
means of clearly communicating their own thoughts to the world around them. During a series of standards-based,
in-class workshops, students explore the mechanics of language, drama, and self-expression, culminating in the
creation of their own original play.
Reader’s Workshop and Writer’s Workshop
Watkins students participate in the highly successful Reader’s Workshop and Writer’s Workshop programs,
developed by Columbia University’s Teachers College. These programs help children read more thoughtfully and
critically. Students generate a written response to what they’ve read in a way that reflects a higher level of
engagement with the text. Students read “real” books, rather than reading workbooks, and make connections
between the book and personal experiences, current events, and other literature. A significant portion of each day is
devoted to writing – students plan, draft, and revise stories, poems, book reviews, and reports. Students share their
work with each other and parents during author celebrations.
FoodPrints and Outdoor Classrooms
Students at the Capitol Hill Cluster School are as likely to find their classrooms outdoors as inside. Watkins’ 20
themed gardens are living classrooms that support lessons across the curriculum. With the generous support of
FRESHFARM Markets, our FoodPrints classes for the first and third grades use garden activities such as planting,
harvesting, and cooking to teach concepts in the science, math, social studies, physical education, and writing
curriculums for each grade. The fourth graders are exploring their Wetlands Garden and learning about the
Chesapeake Bay Watershed in science. Second grade classes are exploring the gardens to increase their writing,
science, and math skills. To learn more about the Watkins Gardens, go www.watkinslivingschoolyard.com.
Responsive Classroom
Watkins, like the rest of the Cluster School, uses the Responsive Classroom technique to help children learn essential
social skills. This research-based approach to teaching encourages cooperation, empathy, responsibility, selfcontrol,
and problem-solving. The Responsive Classroom approach is based on the ideas that the social curriculum is
as important as the academic curriculum and how children learn is as important as what they learn. In the Responsive
Classroom, children help create the rules and discuss logical consequences; teachers use positive language and model
expected behaviors; and teachers and students work together to resolve problems. Each day begins with a Morning
Meeting and includes an opportunity for students to make academic choices. Family involvement is another
important piece of the Responsive Classroom. For more information, please go to www.responsiveclassroom.org.
For more information about the Capitol Hill Cluster School, please go to www.capitolhillclusterschool.org.

Stuart-Hobson Middle School
The Cluster School’s commitment to a developmentally-appropriate curriculum that emphasizes
experiential, participatory, hands-on methods of teaching and learning does not stop after elementary
school. When Watkins students are promoted to Stuart-Hobson for grades six through eight, they are
embraced by a curriculum that provides opportunities for discovery and interpretation, using the latest
technology and the creative methods of museum-influenced and arts-infused materials.
Located near Union Station and the National Mall, our middle school campus offers a unique curriculum based
upon the DC Content Standards, which are enriched by partnerships with organizations such as City Year, the
Embassy of Finland, the Folger Shakespeare Library, Living Classrooms, and the Smithsonian Institution. Stuart-
Hobson’s work goes beyond the boundaries of traditional education and emphasizes the power of passing on
knowledge through written, visual, and oral presentations. Teachers and students have the opportunity to pursue
real questions about nature and culture by employing investigative methods to prepare relevant, rigorous work
products.
Field trips are key to making the connections between the classroom subjects and students’ lives and their
community, so Stuart-Hobson teachers and students are often seen taking full advantage of the facilities offered at
the Smithsonian Institution and many other educational venues in Washington. Just some of the field trips on the
calendar for Fall 2010 include the Museum of Natural History, the Newseum, a Living Classrooms Boat Trip, the
Library of Congress, the Air and Space Museum, and an 8 th grade trip to Jamestown and Williamsburg.
Stuart-Hobson was selected by the Washington Post’s Jay Matthews as one of the region’s best middle schools and its graduates have
gone on to attend the city’s most competitive public and private high schools, and, ultimately, the nation’s most prestigious colleges.
Included in our dedicated faculty are a number of teachers who have earned or are working towards National Board
Certification, as well as past recipients of DCPS Teacher of the Year Awards.
Classes
Stuart-Hobson Middle School currently serves students in grades five through eight. However, beginning in the
2011-2012 school year, 5 th grade will move to the Cluster’s elementary campus – Watkins. This will provide more
space at Stuart-Hobson for additional students and expanded academic and extracurricular offerings.
Classes at Stuart-Hobson cover a wide range of subjects, including English/Language Arts, Math, Social Studies,
Science, and Spanish as core subjects at every grade level. Students also experience special-subject classes –
Instrumental Music, Technology, Visual Art, and Health/Physical Education – for each of the four quarters of the
academic year. Students have the opportunity to earn high school credit for Algebra and Spanish in seventh and
eighth grade. Additionally, students continue to build upon the foundation laid at Peabody and Watkins by honing
character traits aligned with the school’s core values, Positive Attitude, Respect, Integrity, and Dedication to
Excellence.
Technology
Stuart-Hobson uses emerging technologies to support and extend the learning that takes place in the classrooms. In
spring 2010, the DC City Council awarded Stuart-Hobson $1.27 million dollars to support technology upgrades.
The extensive upgrade included computers for classrooms and the library, laptops for use by students and teachers,
SMARTboards, 2 new science labs, a computer lab, a Read 180 lab (an intervention program for struggling readers),

and a new classroom. In addition, the school has a state-of-the-art library and media center, designed and built in
2006 as part of the School Libraries Project of the Capitol Hill Community Foundation.
Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular activities are integral to the Stuart-Hobson experience. Options include the Environmental Club,
STAMPS (a club for students interested in the National Park Service), Student Government Association, the
Builders’ Club (through a local Kiwanis chapter), a STEM (science-technology-engineering-math) club, musical
theater, and more. Students also publish a school newspaper and regularly participate and win honors in both local
and national science fairs, spelling bees, geography bees, National History Day, and numerous art and literacy
competitions. Stuart-Hobson offers a variety of opportunities to participate in athletic teams, including football, JV
and Varsity basketball for boys and girls, volleyball, tennis, golf, cross-country, and indoor track. For the 2010-2011
school year, Stuart-Hobson has added a concert band to the list of after-school options. The school’s new band
director has many exciting plans for expanding music education opportunities at Stuart-Hobson, including a
comprehensive school band program featuring both concert and marching bands, as well as smaller ensembles.
Full Service School
Beginning in the 2009-2010 school year, Stuart-Hobson became a Full Service School, a pilot initiative within
DCPS’ Office of School Innovation. As a Full Service School, Stuart-Hobson has additional staff and resources to
provide services and supports to students as they make the transition through the middle school years. As part of
the initiative, an additional Assistant Principal provides leadership in the areas of establishing a positive school
culture and climate, creating systems to connect students with necessary academic, social/emotional, and behavioral
supports, and supporting an expanded team of service providers.
Beyond Stuart-Hobson
Stuart-Hobson students are considered by many local high school administrators to be both well-prepared and wellrounded,
a testament to its use of teaching methods designed to inform and expand the minds of emerging scholars.
In 2010, 17 Stuart-Hobson students were accepted to DCPS’s prestigious School Without Walls. In 2009, Stuart-
Hobson alumni comprised one-half of Banneker’s graduating seniors. These numbers are unrivaled in the city.
For more information about the Capitol Hill Cluster School, please go to www.capitolhillclusterschool.org.