Kindhearted, Passionate, determined
“Peace is what every human being is craving for, and it can be brought about by humanity through the child.”
- Dr. Maria Montessori
Hi, I’m Lannah. Thank you for viewing my portfolio.
I am a very kind and positive individual. I like to make myself available for my friends, family or anyone in my community who needs a smile or a hand with something.
Lately, I have been pursuing my passion for Montessori Education by reading a lot about the woman behind the Montessori method of education: Dr. Maria Montessori. I’ve enjoyed learning more about the curriculum she developed— especially since I have been learning this way all my life. (More on this below under my “Passion Project”.)
On the weekends, you might find me helping my family create a meal or going for a long walk in the neighborhood.
Academic Pursuits
Our middle school program includes Interdisciplinary Studies where we examine unit themes through project work, ELA/Humanities, Math, Science, STEM and Spanish as well as community service. I enjoy working on Math since it is very gratifying when we learn how to approach different types of problems. I am the kind of learner who learns best by doing and I also really enjoy collaborating with my friends. Learning is so much more fun when we’re working together.
Below are a few photos of some of my favorite moments at school including:
experiments we have been conducting in Science and STEM,
our environmental science class where we grew and harvested all kinds of organic greens,
welcoming new students who joined our 8th-grade class when they arrived here from Ukraine,
a fundraising project my friends and I started to support education for Ukrainian refugees,
and…the class I am teaching for Lower Elementary friends called “Mix it Up!”. This is a cooking class where we make all kinds of fun recipes together. It’s also the first class taught by students for students!
Newspaper Club
Below is our first-ever School Newspaper team selling our first issue. That was a very exciting day! I also enjoyed recruiting “Little Journalists” from the younger grades (1st-3rd grades) to submit articles for our future issues.
Here I am with my friend recruiting “Little Journalists” for the Newspaper Club. We gave a presentation about writing an article and answered questions from the students.
Passion Project
Ever since I was little, I have wanted to be a teacher. I have really followed through on this passion of mine by volunteering every chance I get. I have volunteered consistently over the summer as a Junior Teacher’s Assistant. I enjoyed working with the younger friends so much that now I have continued to volunteer with our After School Program, including assisting in a wonderful class on Mindfulness called “Mindful Me”. We teach young students how they can keep their minds and bodies calm… and we also have a lot of fun doing yoga and other activities.
“I want to be a teacher in Blue Room.”
~Lannah Bonavita, age 5
(Kindergarten Yearbook quote)
Inspirational Figures Presentation
In Spanish class last year, we did a project on presenting some inspirational public figures. My friend and I researched and presented an overview on Kamala Harris. It was great working as a team. I chose to deliver the presentation in Spanish.
Community Service
I believe in the power of community. I live in one of the most diverse cities in our country which is very inspiring, so I want to do my part to be a good steward and a good role model.
My peers and I have cleaned up the neighborhood, spent time playing games with, singing for and reading to the elderly in the local Eldercare Facility, among other great projects like packing lunches or personal care kits for those struggling with homelessness in our community. One of the most recent service projects was raising money for Ukrainian refugees. My friends and I can be seen on the roof of our school, where we were interviewed by a local reporter about our efforts. It was a fun day to celebrate our contributions to the lives of others.
Another amazing project I was part of was helping to support literacy in the book-starved neighborhoods of Jersey City by building a library in a local laundromat. Read the full article here in the Jersey Journal.
More Projects
Civics
This was a fun group project during our Civics studies last year.
Family and Friends
I love to spend time with my family and friends. I’ve known many of my friends for over a decade. I am blessed to have them in my life. I also look forward to making new friends in High School.
Thank you for viewing my portfolio.