Collegiate 2nd Graders Celebrate Annual States Fair

Balancing creative — and sometimes massive — hats on their heads, Collegiate School 2nd Graders marched this morning in an exciting States Fair parade, before performing songs and dances and displaying artwork in Oates Theater to celebrate the "Fifty Nifty" United States.
One of Collegiate's most anticipated Lower School events, the annual States Fair culminates the 2nd Graders' study of the United States. The students wear festive hats decorated to represent the state they studied. Before heading to Oates Theater for their performance, students shared with family and friends the travel websites they created, full of information about their respective states.

Second Grade teacher Beth Albrecht calls States Fair one of the traditional "roots" at Collegiate.

“This large ‘root’ brings together our community and gives us a sense of belonging,” she said. “Every year, it's always fun to walk across campus to Oates Theater and hear the Middle and Upper Schoolers sing out ‘Fifty Nifty’ songs and share what their state was with our 2nd Graders as they proudly walk by.”

Students have a choice as to whether they want to be artists, dancers, singers or speakers during the performance, said 2nd Grade teacher Liz Jessee. During the multimodal project, they learn to collect, evaluate and synthesize information from various sources, including books, maps, newspapers and websites.

“States Fair builds critical research skills that will serve these students for the rest of their academic lives,” she said.
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