PERK middle school
College-Preparatory / Coeducational / Boarding and Day / Grades 6 through 12
One of the ways
to grow
into a really
whyStrong perk?
individual Is by being part Of a really
strong Community.
PERK
MIDDLE SCHOOL A T P E R K
Academic Strength A greater level of challenge, a stronger system of support, an instructional approach that sparks a spirit of inquiry: These are the ingredients of a superb education, the foundation for a rigorous college preparatory experience in Upper School. Personal Focus With an average class size of just nine, teachers know each of their students well and plan instruction to meet their individual strengths and needs. The result is an experience far more powerful than one receives in a larger setting.
Richness of Opportunity From the chance to complete geometry in grade eight to the opportunity to backpack the Appalachian Trail; from an outstanding arts curriculum to a competitive athletics program that includes every student; from community service to swim parties—this is a truly well-rounded experience.
A Sense of Joy Perk’s Middle School celebrates the energy and potential of all our students at this exciting time in their lives and their educations. We welcome them into a close community that feels like a family.
Explore, Experiment,
Experience In science classes at many middle schools, content is organized into units or lessons. At Perk, it would be much more accurate to think in terms of “investigations.� Students are presented with samples of three mysterious metals and asked to test and identify them. Or to build model bridges, then load them to the point of failure to identify their structural weaknesses. Or to research the behaviors of a species of animal and then design a zoo enclosure to suit its needs. Across the Middle School curriculum, students face meaningful and deeply engaging challenges, whether taking part in a Model U.N. session or holding mock elections, making fictional films in English, meeting with Holocaust survivors, or discovering the complexities of a new language—Latin, Spanish, German, or Chinese. In all our classes, students build a strong foundation in study skills and time management, and focus on important fundamental content. They also rise to meet remarkably high expectations and seize wonderful opportunities as members of a learning community that recognizes all they are capable of achieving.
MIDDLE S CHO OL A T P E R K
Real Science In science classes at Perk, students engage in extensive lab work, learning sophisticated skills of analysis. As a Middle School science teacher puts it, “This is hands-on, inquiry-based science. Our textbook is really the lab manual. Our one real assignment is very simple: Think like a scientist.�
“ At my old school,
only a few kids
made the team.
At Perk,
everybody
plays.” Middle School Student
“The thing I love
about Perk
is the opportunities—
to play sports, to make friends,
to have more challenges,
and to learn more.” Middle School student
“ There is no place on earth
like Perk. The reason is our sense of
Community.” Middle School Teacher
“ Students come here
because
they want
to learn. The teachers
are here because they want to help you.” Middle School student
MIDDLE SCHOOL A T P E R K
“ As teachers,
we reach out
to include our students, “ I can’t tell you how great
the difference is between
perk and public school—
how much better
our kids’
experience is here.” perk parent
engage them,
and encourage them to take themselves
to new places.” middle school teacher
Powerful Connections Each year, grade seven students mark the Fine Arts Festival with the unveiling of a major creation—a work of installation art—focusing in some way on themes of social change At Perk. the arts resonate with meaning, connecting with studies in history and English, with students’ personal experiences, and with the wide world beyond campus.
MIDDLE SCHOOL A T P E R K
The Arts
All Around The Schumo Academic Center is bedecked in multicolored Buddhist prayer flags, each inscribed with students’ original poetry. Below, paintings, drawings, and walk-in sculptures fill the Potamkin and Harris Lobbies. On stage in the theater, grade eight students present a spoken-word piece, a powerful interpretation of the poetry of Maya Angelou. The occasion is the Middle School’s Fine Arts Festival, an annual highlight. A multimedia event bringing together band and chorus, visual arts, creative writing, and more; this is also a community event, bringing together students, faculty, and parents. One of the things that makes it most special is the fact that every Middle School student takes part in some way—and some in many ways. During the Festival, it becomes clear just how creative Perk Middle School students are and how deep and meaningful their experience of the arts can be. At other points in the year, students venture out on museum visits and welcome guest artists. They have been honored to read their own poetry on the main stage at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. They host and meet with nationally recognized authors of young adult literature like Newbery Medal-winner Christopher Paul Curtis. In short, creative achievement is a part of their daily life.
perkiomen.org
200 Seminary Street / pennsburg, pennsylvania 18073 / 215.679.9511 t / 215.679.5202 f