During the first semester, students were actively and cooperatively involved in a unit of
study titled "A Quest for the White House", with emphasis on developing leadership skills. The students selected an individual president to conduct an in-depth study while paying close attention to the leadership skills their president possessed.

Activities included Socratic seminars, a research scrap book comprised of poems of different forms, presidential family photos, time lines, Venn diagrams, quotes, pop-up cards, a research summary in the form of a sixteen-line summary poem, and a bibliography. Replicas of the white House and the rooms were also created. The students made an oral presentation with the music Hail to the Chief as an introduction for their classmates and teachers.

Their completed work was displayed at the public library for their parents and the public to
view. As a culminating activity, the sixth grade students traveled to Washington, D. C. to tour the historical monuments studied.