When asked to reflect on our recent trip to Washington DC, students naturally focused on the many museums we visited. (High point of the trip? “The cool museums!” Low point of the trip? “So many museums!”) DC is the mother lode of museums, and we visited many of them during our visit. We all had our fill by the end of the week, but there is no doubt that everyone was enriched by the many, many exhibits we saw. Our current middle school project is designed to give students a chance to dig a bit deeper into any topic of interest that they learned about in DC. Student choice is the order of the day, and each student has chosen a topic s/he wants to research more deeply.   The topics and styles of exhibits that students are researching and creating are wide-ranging and unique. Our recent experience in so many museums has given students a view of the myriad ways that museum curators design exhibits to enhance learning, spark questions, and ignite passion. In addition to doing research, students are working hard to make their exhibits unique and effective. They are excited and engaged, brainstorming and revising initial plans as new ideas pop up. Because they have chosen their topics, they are motivated and interested. We are looking forward to sharing their hard work this coming Wednesday, when the middle school hall and classrooms will become our very own museum. We can’t wait to show you!