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MIDDLE SCHOOL MAGIC
Fostering Growth and Positive Sense of Self in Middle School
By Carl Vallely, Head of Middle School Matt Gallon, Middle School Dean of Students
We have seen it all over the course of our time in the Middle School: Tears over challenging friendships. Disappointment over casting decisions or an assessment performance. Exuberance over a win on the athletic field. Pride over an exhibition. Excitement over a favorite lunch or a special “First Friday” treat. Middle School is undoubtedly a time of big feelings, big growth, and big opportunities. In fact, the only period of human development in which young people undergo more physical, psychological, and emotional change than during early adolescence is between birth and the age of two! During their Middle School years, children start to see themselves as independent beings, separate from their parents and families, and begin to explore and make decisions about who they are and what they will become. While society tells us that Middle School is a challenging time to be survived or endured, we strive to flip that narrative by meeting our students where they are with an educational program that fosters growth and a positive sense of self in a caring culture and climate.
A POSITIVE, INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT WITH A FOCUS ON CORE VALUES
A climate and culture that honors students’ identities and empowers them to reach their full potential is at the heart of our Middle School program, and Brimmer’s Core Values of Respect, Responsibility, Kindness, Honesty, and Equity provide the foundation for this work. In division-wide morning meetings and assemblies, as well as in smaller advisory group meetings, students and faculty discuss the meaning and significance of each of the Core Values and how they inform our Middle School culture.
We explicitly highlight upstanders and role models from outside of our community, both past and present, who have exemplified our Core Values in their own lives and work. This year, we held several assemblies dedicated to learning about John Lewis and the Selma to Montgomery March and the Our Planet documentary series with David Attenborough that examined the themes of social and environmental equity. Our annual Voices assemblies elevated the voices of Black students and faculty, as well as those who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community. These programs and the ensuing small-group discussions that followed allowed us to explore the Core Values and their role in building an inclusive community. They also provide opportunities for students to find “windows” and “mirrors” into the different aspects of their own and other people’s identities to see where and how they intersect.
Finally, each week we issue commendations to the students and faculty who have exemplified one or more of the Core Values. These commendations reiterate our commitment to our Core Values and draw attention to how acts of goodwill, no matter how large or small, can have a positive impact on our community.
DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE SOCIAL EVENTS AND OUTINGS
Co-curricular programming provides an important opportunity for students to build peer relationships in a developmentally appropriate setting. Structured differently than the classroom, these events and activities are expertly organized and facilitated by Middle School faculty and outside professionals to ensure a positive and healthy social experience for students. They encourage students to take risks and cultivate a stronger sense of self and identity in a safe environment. They also create opportunities for students to connect with classmates with whom they have not had the opportunity to get to know.
We begin each year with two days of outdoor activities focusing on team building. This year, Project Adventure and Grit ‘n Wit facilitated activities aimed at bringing new students into the fold, enhancing the cohesiveness of each class, and developing a strong sense of community across the Middle School. Outdoor Education trips to places like the Natick Community Farm, Blue Hills Trailside Museum, and Minuteman Trail in the spring and fall also provide an opportunity for students to bond as they explore a new environment and try new physical activities that encourage them to stretch to the edge of their comfort zone with the enthusiastic support of their teachers and friends.
Community Service also plays an important role in the Middle School. Trips to the Greater Boston Food Bank, where students sort canned goods and pack bags of food, present an opportunity for students to think about how they can support the needs of other people and put our Core Values into action outside the walls of the School.
In addition to these outings, the Middle School Student Senate organizes several social events over the course of the year. These events include dances, bingo night, grade- level hangouts, and a kickball tournament. Given the age range of our students, we also know that there can be a vast difference in the types of social activities that are appropriate for students in Grade 6 and Grade 8. For this reason, we limit some dances to only seventh and eighth grade students and host special events for individual grades. This way students feel comfortable and can look forward to engaging in a range of different social events over the course of their Middle School experience.
RELATIONSHIPS WITH TRUSTED ADULTS
Research shows that adolescents who have positive, trusting adult relationships in their lives are more likely to be happier, welladjusted teenagers and adults. In our Middle School professional development and faculty meetings, we are intentional about ensuring our teachers hone their relationship-building skills each year. Shared faculty reads like Hacking School Culture by Angela Stockman and Ellen Feig Gray and Middle School Matters by Phyllis L. Fagell provide a common language and structure to this important work and help ensure our entire faculty have the tools they need to build these essential authentic connections with students.
Our small class sizes allow for each student to be known and for teachers and students to build deep, trusting relationships, and our advisor program ensures all students have an adult advocate within the community whom they can approach about anything. We provide weekly prompts to engage students and advisors in important conversations, and we utilize the Handbook for Advisors from the Center for Spiritual and Emotional Education to further develop and build connections. These relationships help our students feel safe to try new things, take risks, and know they have a soft place to land should things go awry.
Head of Middle School Carl Vallely prioritizes building authentic relationships between faculty and students.
WELLNESS AND SOCIAL- EMOTIONAL LEARNING CURRICULUM
Just as important as our core academics, our Growth Education curriculum is a key part of a student’s experience in the Middle School. These courses, which cover health and wellness, study skills, and socialemotional learning, are a vital part of our Middle School. They help students learn about themselves as individuals, identify their personal learning style and strengths to help them find academic success, and navigate interpersonal relationships, and they teach stress and anxiety management skills. We also incorporate curricula from the Anti-Defamation League, the Choose Love Program, and outside groups like The Wellness Collaborative, Media Girls, and Boys for the Better to discuss identity, challenge stereotypes, emphasize our Core Values, and help students gain an awareness of the importance of digital citizenship and their digital footprint. Finally, we partner with EduHealth Boston (formerly Partners in Sex Education), a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of Greater Boston youth through comprehensive, developmentally appropriate education about sexuality, sexual health, consent, and relationships.
Our curricular and co-curricular programs complement each other and provide holistic education for our Middle Schoolers as they approach and move through this unique stage of human development. While adolescence comes with its challenges, as Middle School educators we see these moments as opportunities for growth; we hope to inspire the same mindset in our students as they build a healthy and positive sense of self that will benefit them for years to come. ■
Middle School Outdoor Education hikes Blue Hills Reservation.
