Middle School Perspective
Middle School Community (Ages 11-15)
You know, being at this school makes me realize how unique and special each of us really is. I mean, we all have these different talents and skills that God gives us and it’s super cool to see them come to life. For instance, in our group projects, there’s always this mix of creativity, organization, and unique genius.
But it’s not just about books and tests here. We do so much hands-on stuff. We’ve built things from wood, made our own maps, and even dissected things (which was both cool and a bit eww). We’re always learning about our environment, planting trees, and even growing our own food. And the younger kids? We mentor them and help them out. It feels great to pass on what we’ve learned.
Every year, we showcase our hard work. There’s the science fair, our end-of-the-year portfolio presentations, an art show, and don’t get me started on the Thanksgiving feast – so much food! We also go on these leaving to learn trips, which are pretty much like the coolest field trips ever. Oh, and we have these end-of-year class trips – unforgettable moments, trust me.
What’s really challenging, but also fun are the week-long projects, typing challenges, and the public speaking gigs. Socratic conversations get us thinking, and the peer support here is solid.
The best part? We’re not just about us. We’ve got projects where we help others outside our school. Plus, the tech exploration stuff – it’s like a peek into the future.
Honestly, with all this going on, it’s hard not to grow and find out what makes you tick. This school is all about the real world, and I’m loving every bit of it.
So here’s how our class works; we’ve got three ways we learn:
- Small group instruction, where we dive deep.
- Independent work time, where we manage our own schedule.
- Experiential Learning with integrated projects, where we learn.
This year we’ve had real experts join us for projects like marketing, design engineering, and even event planning.
We still do all the basics: math, language, science, history, and we do well on those tests we have to take in 6th and 9th grade – we are a pretty capable bunch. It’s just that we don’t stress out about tests and comparing ourselves with each other – that’s too much drama. Instead, we’re all about doing our absolute best and pushing ourselves to always keep learning.
We try to be there for one another, being there when someone needs a hand. And, of course, we always remember that God’s got us. He is the one who knows us best and he leads and guides us when we put him first. Sometimes we think a little bit differently about God than other people in our class, and that is ok. We are all learning and we respect where everyone is on their journey.