4 minute read
NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL
Jeffrey Frantz Grade 7 English and Writing teacher
The new Middle School is an incubator, comfortably warming and nurturing the leading minds of the future.”
The first time the students saw the classroom - the floor-to-ceiling windows, the cool colors, the natural light, the view - all they could do was gasp. It is an inspiring space to be sure; a space to think, to ponder, to question, to grow, and to learn. Add to this space moveable furniture and the latest in technology, the teaching and learning possibilities become endless. We have Socratic seminars around a ‘boardroom’ table one class, small group stations the next, and Lincoln/Douglas debates in a third. Outside the class, the common areas offer even more: learning hubs for study groups, the big steps for assemblies or class presentations, and plenty of room for everything in between. Ilona Kusz Middle School Math teacher
The new Middle School building has helped bring our community closer and closer each day since day one. The open community spaces and glass classrooms help to foster transparent learning and teaching environments where learners and teachers are constantly growing and interacting with each other with very little physically divided space. Learners and teachers are seen as ‘one force’ rather than separate groups or academic categories. The move to the new Middle School helped students to become more responsible and accountable for both their learning and actions. In only a few months, this new building helped strengthen relationships between all members of our community. I am very thankful to be a part of such a caring, trusting, and growing community.
Michael Stuart Grade 8 History teacher
A week prior to moving to the new building, the Middle School students and teachers envisioned an ideal school. This is the spirit in which we have changed our settings. While a building is nothing but a physical structure, it has the capacity to inspire. I am teaching in one of the finest classrooms in the world, and must consistently ensure that I am meeting up to the standards such a space deserves. The views of Casa de Campo, color scheme, and lighting lend themselves to tranquility while, simultaneously, presenting us with opportunity. We have the opportunity to reconsider how and why we learn. The practicality of various seating arrangements and chairs with wheels has allowed us to more easily transition from whole class lessons to small groups. Students who have felt distracted have moved away from other students and positioned themselves to look out at the greenery and cityscape. We have become more flexible. I have met with teachers to pursue greater collaboration across disciplines and to envision a grand end-of-the-year project for 8th-grade students. We are exploring more options in an effort to educate. The new building gives a sense of hope and possibility.
More than natural light and pretty views. More than new furniture and cabinets. As we learn Science in our new building, we have already on many occasions looked out the windows and discussed the science of what is there: geology, the relationship of heat transfer and weather, waves (light, sound, and their interaction with different materials), nature itself. The building is much more accessible to a range of learning spaces and instills the idea that learning is not limited to a classroom. Students regularly “work” in spaces around the Middle School common areas and we are quickly noticing how many more possibilities there are with the right additional furniture and resources.
Students go from their working desks to the sink areas as they transition with ease to lab investigations. I have even noticed students wash their hands more. The space isn’t just inviting to be in, it invites us to use it. Students are taking the learning outside more. The outside campus is that much closer to investigate plants, weathering, erosion, and climate. To step outside to read a book, play a cooperative game, or work in the fresh air is also growing in popularity. Education today is different than when we were kids. Education today is about the whole child. We care about the students’ emotional health as much as their academic wealth. With our new spaces, we provide more places for mindfulness and to let go of anxieties, or to get comfortable in a good conversation or with a good book. Even right in the classrooms. When we were opening, I underestimated what the physical space meant. Already, science classes have wheeled their tables out to the common gathering area and held several exhibitions. That space also opens up room for students to investigate and engineer. They have been testing balloon rockets, parachutes, and making many projects needing more space. We realize this increased space finally allows us to expand our Middle School science curriculum to fully embrace the engineering practices embedded within.
