Here at Maryland International School, we have the honor and privilege of being hosts of Vex Robotics, a student club created for exploring the principles of robotics through specialized curriculum, competition and engineering…
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Late last month, MDIS Grades 6-8 packed up their gear and headed to the Chesapeake Bay to Camp Echo Hill for an experiential learning opportunity. Usually planned for 6th grade students alone, this year’s trip was made extra special with the addition of the 7th and 8th graders who lost their trip to the Covid-19 pandemic. As a sleep-away camp experience, students stay in cabins with 8 of their peers, enjoy meals with classmates, participate in two 3-hour activities per day, and have periods of free time to explore camp with their friends. As a part of their ongoing science curriculum, their activities this year were primarily based around ecology and “challenges by choice”, one of the key reasons for this trip every year. Ms. Vance, MYP science teacher and leader of the annual Echo Hill experience, says that one of the main reasons this trip is so special is the way it is able “to bring any new students into the group, make them feel included and important, and give everyone a part of things. It requires a lot of communication with each other.” Ms.Vance says that her favorite part of the Echo Hill trip is getting to see students learn to believe in themselves. The camp’s daily challenges, “challenges by choice”, allow for every child to choose their own goal for each activity. A 40-foot-high rope swing might be a fun challenge for some, but for others, the appropriate challenge might be to sit on the swing, without any additional height. This is to emphasize that no personal challenge is too small to be worthy of celebration.
Each student is given the freedom to accomplish their own goals, without any pressure or shame. This is a huge key to the success of the Echo Hill experience. Ms. Vance recalls moments at Echo Hill where she has seen entire classes bond over one student’s desire to face, and overcome, a fear. “I love how proud they are when they take on a challenge,” she says, “and I love that they embrace it.”
Check out some pictures from the Echo Hill trip this year below, and discover more about MDIS’ commitment to building character in and outside of the classroom when you sign up for a tour today!
Thank you to all of our faculty for making this trip a success! Check out some photos below!
Located in Howard County, MDIS is an authorized World School for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme, and Diploma Programme. We are the only school in Maryland and second in the Mid-Atlantic region to offer all three programmes of study. Our mission is to provide an academically rigorous and supportive college-preparatory education with an interdisciplinary and applied focus on the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines in order to prepare students to become creative problem solvers, effective communicators, and tomorrow’s leaders who think ethically, independently, and globally. We are conveniently located in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area on a beautiful 9-acre campus in Elkridge, MD.
We offer several options for tours, please select your preferred tour method below to schedule a visit! We can’t wait to meet you!
As school year 22-23 began, MDIS students had the chance to come together to prepare and get excited for a fresh start this year! Each grade level participated in Student Summit meetings: gatherings of students and teachers to learn about MDIS’ IB standards, socially acclimating to a new year, doing research honestly, self-management skills, and science fair details while getting to connect with peers in a light-hearted setting. Some student favorites included a group play put on by MDIS upper school teachers about self-management, and a discussion with our Administration about school dance ideas for the year. After the morning sessions, MDIS faculty and students gathered together on the Tiger Terrace to grab a slice of pizza and get to know each other.
After the final summit meeting, the 2022-2023 Pep Rally began. After preparing a fun presentation on an IB learner profile trait, each grade took to the halls with cheers and songs, dances, and banners rallying out to the front of the school to celebrate! From 1st graders performing an impressive number of choreographed cartwheels to 10th graders marching with their chant, “Knowledge is power”, every grade had something to contribute to the MDIS Spirit! At the end of the rally, we enjoyed some ice cream to cool down while final votes were tallied for the winning grade of the pep contest. Ultimately, 8th-grade students won a dress-down day as well as a few other prizes for their stellar performance. Thank you for all of your hard work and enthusiasm, Tigers! Here’s to the beginning of another great year!
Thank you to all of our students & faculty for making this event a success! Check out the photos below!
Current MDIS families can access our MDIS Connect Google Site, which serves as our communications hub. Any information that is shared through ManageBac, our learning management system, will be curated in MDIS Connect. MDIS Connect has the following sections:
★ Home: Calendar and information about upcoming event(s)
★ PYP (Grades 1-5): Updates and information regarding curriculum, instruction, assessment (CIA), programs, and activities
★ MYP (Grades 6-10): Updates and information regarding CIA, programs, and activities
★ DP (Grades 11-12): Updates and information regarding CIA, programs, and activities
★ Student Government Association (SGA): Events, activities, and service learning
★ Student Life: Clubs, activities, events, and Global Ambassadors Program
★ College & Career: Information and resources
★ IB 101: International Baccalaureate World School-related information
★ Resources: Important documents including the Academic Calendar, A to Z Guide, etc.
Please note: Access to MDIS Connect is limited to current MDIS Students & their families. If you are not currently part of the MDIS Community you will be unable to access this link.
On Saturday, April 30, 2022, MDIS Celebrated its 5th Annual Earth Day Festival! We are happy to have held this event in person for our MDIS families this year and hope that we can invite our community next year.
The Earth Day 2022 theme was Restore Our Earth: Drive Change & Make an Impact. Based on this theme, MDIS students have focused on the following topics over the course of the last eight weeks: 1) Climate & Environmental Literacy, 2) Act on Climate Change, 3) Conservation & Restoration, 4) End Plastic Pollution, and 5) Food & Environment. The goal for Earth Day 2022 was for students to curate their learning by planning and designing an exhibit to:
Thank you to all of our students, staff, parent volunteers, and families for making this event a success! Check out the photos below!
On Saturday, October 29, 2021 MDIS Celebrated its 5th Annual STEM Festival! We are happy to have held this event in-person for our MDIS families this year, and hope that we can invite our community next year. This event was held in conjunction with The Maryland STEM Festival which is a month-long celebration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics that takes place every Fall.
The day’s event featured:
Thank you to all of our students, staff, parent volunteers, and families for making this event a success! Check out the photos below!
On Tuesday, September 21, 2021, MDIS celebrated International Peace Day with a ceremony on the field. The United Nations has declared International Peace Day as devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. Check out the video below from the event!
Videographer & Editor: Documented Video Productions
Our 4th Annual MDIS STEM Festival was held on October 30, 2020. We are happy to have held this event virtually this year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Explore our virtual festival.
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Our Maryland International School (MDIS) 3rd graders participated in the Trout in the Classroom program sponsored by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. In December 2019, Mr. De Francesco’s class received 69 trout eggs and were able to release 53 of them this spring. Due to COVID-19, students participated in a virtual release that they were able to watch via YouTube in April. See the links at the end of this post to view the videos yourself!
The Trout in the Classroom Program was brought to MDIS through Mr. De Francesco’s membership with Trout Unlimited. After learning about the program, he was able to apply and receive the Maryland DNR’s Aquatic Resources Grant (ARE). As a result, MDIS was able to acquire the start-up materials and eggs for this program
Throughout the year, the students transformed a 75-gallon aquarium into a temperature-regulated habitat, raised the trout from eggs to fingerlings, and then released them into a state-approved cold water stream or lake. Students became experts in knowing and testing the 55-58 degree water temperature required for these fish to thrive. Daily, they tested the water for pH, ammonia, and nitrate levels and cleaned the water using a gravity suction system.
“I have been a life-long angler and enjoy fly-fishing immensely. Being able to share my hobby along with the science behind it has been a joy!” said Mr. De Francesco. “In addition, the interest of the students and their families makes the work that it takes to get set up worth it! I loved hearing the conversations from our students while also having eager parents come to me wanting to see the fish.”
This program promotes interdisciplinary learning across several subject areas including biology, chemistry, mathematics, and environmental education while fostering a conservation ethic. Students learn about the life cycle of trout, their local environment, and the health of their water ecosystem. The students also learn to test, collect, and communicate data to ensure that the trout are thriving. The program will be a great addition to our school’s annual Earth Day festival.
With the ARE Grant, we are excited to bring the Trout in the Classroom Program to MDIS annually. The faculty at MDIS is looking into ways to expand this program to grades 1-5 in the future.
If you would like to see more about our third grader’s experience check out some of the videos about their experience on YouTube:
