Hammond School kicked off another year this past week with energetic optimism towards great things to come. There is a great sense of newness floating around campus with the recently dedicated Barks Hall, construction of a memorial chapel and presence of new Headmaster, Adam de Pencier.

Additionally, with the dawn of the new school year comes a focus on the Czech Republic, Hammond's latest Country of Study.

The Country of Study program has been in place for over seventeen years and plays a vital role in each school year's curriculum. Each year, faculty choose one country to be studied throughout the lower, middle and upper divisions of the school. In order to enhance theses studies, members of the faculty travel to the chosen country during the summer months and embed themselves in the local culture. These teachers then have the added responsibility of presenting information about the region to the remaining faculty, who in turn use the information to enhance their lessons.

Students in each division have been exposed to images and the language from the moment they entered campus the first day of school. The national flag of the Czech Republic is prominently positioned at the front gate and Czech words have been used throughout hallway bulletin boards.

"Even in the first few days of class, students have been eager to learn about the Czech Republic." says Middle School math teacher Nancy White, who was chosen to visit the country of study this past summer. "We've had fun looking at pictures of the different types of food and figuring out exactly where the Czech Republic is located."