21 minute read
Meet Me in the Middle
Metro Atlanta’s private schools make a difference during the middle grade years
Atlanta International School High Meadows School Atlanta Academy
By Amy Meadows
So often, we hear about the importance of early education and how impactful the elementary years can be for children. We also focus quite a bit on those all-encompassing high school years, when college is right around the corner and key life decisions are being made by our teenagers. However, in many cases, the middle school years get lost in that discussion. But these pivotal grades, during which tweens and early teens are trying to find their footing and adapt to new educational and individual challenges, are equally as important as the ones that come both before and after them. Fortunately, metro Atlanta’s private schools have risen to the challenge, making those middle grade years as welcoming and meaningful as possible. Here, KNOWAtlanta Magazine offers a glimpse of the various approaches taken and opportunities provided by some of the area’s most renowned independent schools.
Atlanta Academy
emerge from their elementary years. The cornerstones of the middle school experience are achievement, leadership, organization, creativity, self-discipline and social responsibility, and there are high expectations surrounding these tenets.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: The Innovation Center provides state-of-the-art tools and a place for students to bring technology and design together in areas like photography, augmented reality, virtual reality and more. A Stock and Finance class teaches students how the market economy works and how to invest
in the stock market. And students may join the award-winning debate team, which has won the North Metro Middle School Debate Championship the past 12 of 15 years.
Atlanta International School
The Middle School Difference: The goal of Atlanta International School’s middle school program is to help students link classroom learning to the world beyond so they can see its relevance in a global context. Teachers present concepts and issues and use students’ questions and observations to move the conversation forward; it is a student-driven approach that is both engaging and an ideal preparation for the next stage of learning, the intellectually rigorous International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: Numerous opportunities connect students with others from many different countries to provide an appreciation of global issues and an intercultural awareness. The “personal project” allows students to demonstrate what they have learned over the course of a one-year project based on a topic of global importance that excites them. The school also offers award-winning Mock Trial and Model United Nations programs and student-led CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) groups, including an investment club that won the Stock Market Game. High Meadows School
The Middle School Difference: Students are viewed as individuals and honored for what they contribute to the class and school each day; their voices are valued and fostered. Middle school is seen as a notable time of transition from childhood to young adulthood where both academic and personal foundations are developed one-onone and within the context of a responsive community. The aim is to help students understand themselves better as learners and as human beings who can affect positive change. The school takes a whole-child approach, tending to students’ intellectual and social emotional sides.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: Sixth and 7th grades are combined into a two-year rotating cross-curricular program that focuses on big guiding questions and themes, including “How do societies balance the needs of the individual with the needs of the community?” and “What does it mean to be human?” Students select two Mini courses every six weeks from topics like animal care, the history of Rock n’ Roll, cooking, debate, stock market, technology, theatre arts, visual arts and more; they also participate in volunteer opportunities in the community.
Holy Spirit Preparatory School
The Middle School Difference: At Holy Spirit Prep, Middle School is seen as a time of tremendous growth and change—intellectually, emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually. The Classical Catholic approach helps students learn and develop reason and judgment in light of the truth of the faith. In partnership with parents, the faculty and Campus Ministry work with each middle school student to develop a personalized Formation Plan. Students set goals and objectives in four key areas: Academic, Spiritual, Personal Development and Service. Students also have opportunities to serve in leadership roles on campus.
Unique Academic and Extra-Curricular
Offerings: The school’s comprehensive educational and formation program includes rigorous offerings in core areas of math, science, English/Language Arts, social studies and Theology, as well as PE, art, music and band. It encourages independent, critical thinking through the use of the Socratic method and Latin and Logic (in 8th grade), as well as participation in student-focused programs that promote personal responsibility. An Advanced Math track for students ready to excel is offered, and STEAM objectives are incorporated throughout the science and math curriculum. Additionally, a majority of the student population participates in extracurricular sports and/or clubs.
King’s Ridge Christian School
The Middle School Difference: Students in 5th and 6th grades follow a model that eases the transition from lower school to middle school by having one teacher for Math and Science and one teacher for English and History; the 7th and 8th grade model is a more traditional model where students have different teachers for each subject. The goal is for every student to receive a rigorous, academic experience while still focusing on their spiritual and emotional well-being. The focus is not to have kids regurgitate information, but to think critically and understand the “why” behind the information they are learning.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: The Middle School offers Upper School credit for courses in foreign language, math and science; all middle school students are eligible to earn up two Upper School credits, and middle school students who are enrolled in Honors classes are eligible to earn up to four Upper School credits. Eighth grade students can become Middle School Student Representatives, who lead committees comprised of students from all grades in the areas of Service, Student life, Admissions and Publicity. Additionally, teachers lead elective classes varying in interest from Servant Leadership to Cooking.
Lyndon Academy
With a maximum of 18 students in a classroom, and the average being 12, all students have a voice in the classroom and in their education. The school wants students to enter high school prepared to take on continued rigorous courses with the confidence to be fully engaged and successful.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: Fifth graders take many courses at the middle school level to get early exposure to the world of middle school. High school credits are offered in the foreign languages; there are electives spanning all curriculum areas, technology and the fine arts; and small class sizes offer more oneon-one teacher interaction. The school also offers an array of extracurricular activities, from band, drama, LEGO Robotics and the Science Olympiad to cross country, volleyball, golf, softball and more.
Mount Paran Christian School
The Middle School Difference: The school understands the developmental age, needs and interests of its students and is very intentional with nurturing relationships and embracing a culture of family, faith and fun. The goal is to grow the whole child. MPCS is a safe place, both mentally and physically, for tweens and teens to explore and discover their God-given gifts.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: The school provides great variety for students to select exploratory classes with a menu of more than 20 courses from which to choose. The Directed Studies program is unique in Christian education, as instruction is tailored to meet the needs of students with various learning challenges. Accelerated and advanced courses are offered in math, language arts and science, and Bible is an academic class in every grade. Every sport that is offered in high school also is available in the middle school; MPCS also boasts a robotics team, Black History Bowl, service opportunities, Murray Arts Academy after-school music lessons and more.
Mount Pisgah Christian School
The Middle School Difference: Students at MPCS are known. The school prioritizes connecting with students and creating authentic relationships with them that allow staff and faculty the right to speak into a child’s life. Those relationships are leveraged inside the classroom—knowing when to push, when to let something go, when it is time to celebrate progress and when it’s time to speak difficult truth in love. The school wants children to feel safe—emotionally, physically, spiritually, intellectually—so that they can grow towards independence and be strong participants in their community. MPCS believes that middle school isn’t something students should survive—it is a place where they deserve to thrive.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: MPCS feels that middle school should be about trying new things—trying cross country for the first time, taking an Improv class or picking up a cello or drumstick to see how it feels to play. In the fifth grade, students have two different rotations throughout the year, rotating through band, chorus and orchestra, as well as drama, visual art and bible. Sixth grade students choose two different fine arts classes, each for an entire semester. And 7th and 8th grade students get to choose both a “major” and a “minor” elective; majors meet three times a week, and minors meet two times a week, giving students a chance to specialize in areas that interest them while allowing them to try new things.
The Mount Vernon School
North Cobb Christian School
The Middle School Difference: The Middle School program was developed to make school more reflective of real life, to empower students to be seekers and explorers and to inspire all learners—and the larger world. The framework is intentionally focused on the development milestones of middle schoolers: identity, independence, freedom-responsibility balance and leadership. Engaging in learning through student-centered approaches, students are guided by teachers, external experts and their peers to identify, research and solve real-world problems or challenges. The school teaches
children to observe and question everything, build empathy muscles, experiment with prototypes and iterate—then do it again.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: Understanding that identity, innovation, legacy and impact are core developmental milestones of the middle school experience, students engage in thematic humanities experiences such as the hero’s journey in Grade 6, the human story through the lens of freedom in Grade 7 and conflict and resolution throughout history in Grade 8. The integrated study of STEM emphasizes application and real-world contexts which engage students in their learning through critical and creative thinking, innovation and problem solving. Additionally, middle schoolers participate in daily sessions devoted to mind and body, such as skills-based physical education, executive function, foundational and study skills and project management. Students also experience arts and design courses each year, including music, dance/movement, maker, design and engineering, visual arts, digital and graphic media and more. The Middle School Difference: A multidisciplinary approach is foundational to the middle school program at NCCS, developing students into authentic, well-rounded Christian leaders. The instructional approach utilizes a balance between academics, athletics, fine arts and student life and combines a robust curriculum with challenging learning environments to achieve student mastery through knowing, The Walker School
King’s Ridge Christian School
understanding and doing. The cornerstone of the program is the dedicated faculty, the “living curriculum,” who purposefully invest in each student’s well-being.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: Through the One-To-One Technology Initiative, each student in grades 5 through 8 is issued their own Chromebook, which allows students to become technologically literate as 21st century learners while also practicing digital stewardship and personal responsibility. Many 7th and 8th graders participate in Duke TIP (Talent Identification Program), which offers above-level testing, recognition and ceremonies, enrichment, educational programs and college prep. Also, the Pathways Program is an innovative middle school program that involves a series of assessments, evaluations and personal reflections compiled by middle school students with the goal of helping students know themselves from the inside out. NCCS middle school students also can participate in 14 sports and more than 30 clubs.
Notre Dame Academy
The Middle School Difference: Notre Dame Academy approaches the middle school experience with love. The school believes that it is an honor to have a young person experience the fragility of that middle school age while knowing that their teachers, their principal and the people that they deal with everyday truly enjoy them. The vulnerability of a middle school student is truly looking for acceptance and being valued, and Notre Dame Academy offers an environment that enriches that child while also making him or her feel loved. The middle school experience strives to provide a safe haven where students that are in this vulnerable age are safe—emotionally, physically and socially.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular Offerings:
Notre Dame Academy is Georgia’s only K-12 Marist Catholic International Baccalaureate school. The IB Middle Years Programme focuses on the development of inquisitive and internationally minded learners and encourages students to step outside of the classroom to apply the concepts in a way that challenges them to think about the effects in their local, national and global communities while maintaining a level of empathy and compassion to those around them. Courses range from the language arts and math to design, photography and language courses. In addition to a variety of clubs, sports and service learning opportunities, there are numerous field trips, including an 8th grade field trip to Rome, Italy.
The Walker School thewalkerschool.org Location: Marietta Grades: 6 through 8
The Middle School Difference: The goal of the middle school is to provide developmentally appropriate opportunities for students to form identity and purpose. The connection to students and interpersonal relationships, a dedication to finding and developing the passions of students and an engaging and challenging curricula that channels the ideas of discovery and wonder are the foundation of the pillars of the middle school. Students are given space to try new things, make mistakes, solve problems, feel supported and be celebrated. With an average class size of 16 students, every child is known and every voice is valued.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: Dynamic English and writing instruction, dedicated science labs, four world languages and five levels of math instruction are just the beginning. Unique courses range from a host of science, math and history courses to Digital Technology, Digital Media, Computer Science Principles, Engineering and Robotics. The school also offers single-gender math, daily 30-minute recess, state-of-the-art science and technology building and a comprehensive advisory program that includes a focus on executive functioning skills and leadership training. Extracurricular activities include athletics, fine and visual arts, an aerospace club, a debate team and more.
Wesleyan School
The Middle School Difference: Wesleyan School believes faith and intellect are great partners with each other. Leadership and faculty work to provide students with an atmosphere that is challenging, reinforces the value of hard work and emphasizes character and integrity above accomplishment. The middle school is intentional in allowing students to begin taking responsibility for their own learning and actions while developing independence in a nurturing environment; faculty begins the process by meeting students where they are and then pushing them to grow from there. The campus, courses and extracurricular opportunities are designed to help each child navigate their strengths, interests and passions in an encouraging and supportive setting during these formative years.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: In grades 5 through 7, Wesleyan offers gender-differentiated classes in math and English. Students benefit from an advanced math program at every grade level, and every student takes classes in Spanish, French and Latin in 5th and 6th grades before choosing a language to focus on in 7th and 8th grades. STEM offerings continue to expand each year, and a new Academic Resource Center assists students with learning differences in becoming independent learners while successfully meeting the demands of Wesleyan’s academic standard of excellence. Students may participate in a wide range of athletics, arts and service op-
The Westminster Schools
The Middle School Difference: The Westminster Middle School focuses on the development of the whole child through a rich and challenging curriculum that balances traditional and innovative teaching methods. Cultivating creativity, enhancing skill development and supporting personal growth, teachers build study strategies as they incorporate technology, experiential learning and critical thinking skills into the daily curriculum. The goal is to prepare students for a seamless transition to the Upper School and for their lives beyond.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: In addition to all of the standard academic offerings, Westminster offers such unique classes as Journalism; Creative Writing; Economics for Entrepreneurs; Future City (a national challenge that has students answer the question “How can we make the world a better place?” and requires them to imagine, research, design and build cities of the future); Imagine, Design, Create: Explore the World of Coding; Architectural Design: Building for Community; Leadership 101; Serve ATL (a place-based service learning course that focuses on exposing students to Atlanta’s areas of greatest need and teaching skills to address those needs effectively); and Endangered Earth—We Can Meet the Challenge. Additionally, every Whitefield Academy
The Middle School Difference: Whitefield Academy engages in studying the latest information on brain-based learning specific to middle school students and strives to teach and encourage spiritual formation of students as they form new synapses that will last a lifetime. The school believes strongly in growth mindsets, restorative discipline and Christ-centered frameworks for decision making. The middle school experience is unique in that it integrates faith learning into all of the classrooms and focuses on metacognition, pushing students to “think about their thinking.” If students spend quality time reflecting on their decisions and academic passions, they naturally build strong executive functioning skills that grow their self-confidence.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: Middle school students participate in a variety of academic opportunities, all integrating faith learning. Bible, foreign language, history, English, math, science and physical education classes are complemented by STEM lab and library opportunities. The school also offers first week retreats and orientations, bookend grade-level trips (for 5th and 8th grades), 8th grade academic coaching and the Middle School J-Term Experience, during which teams spend a week dedicated to community exploration of a subject and real-world learning application. Extracurricular activities include leadership options like student council, as well as clubs, arts and athletics.
Woodward Academy
woodward.edu Location: College Park and Duluth Grades: 7 and 8
The Middle School Difference: Woodward believes that middle school should provide strong structure and high expectations, along with the opportunity for students to practice independence. Middle school should be a time to explore interests and allow students to have fun while they’re doing it. Students learn not only academics, but also how to be a student, how to learn their own strengths and challenges and how to apply that knowledge to their own education. Middle school students have a unique opportunity to have their own space but also be able to participate with upper school students and classes.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: Woodward is one of the few independent schools that offers multiple academic levels and a completely personalized schedule. Within the school day, students have the opportunity to explore not only their core academics, but also performing and fine arts options such as band, orchestra, choir, dance and visual arts options like 3D printing, sculpture, photography, ceramics, drawing and painting, as well as options such as STEAM, engineering, robotics and film/video. The school offers a multitude of club and athletic opportunities, including academic clubs, art clubs and fun clubs like Anime and chess. n
SPECIAL PROGRAMS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS
Middle school inherently has its challenges. Of course, for students who have additional learning needs or require additional help or a non-traditional educational setting, those challenges can be even more pronounced. Fortunately, metro Atlanta is home to an array of schools that focus on everything from dyslexia and ADHD to hearing loss and executive function, allowing students to truly thrive during the formative middle school years. The Cottage School
Area of Focus: Students who have mild to moderate learning difficulties and can benefit from a unique work-based model that simulates real-world experience. a whole-child approach, striving to develop the student not only academically but also social-emotionally. The school wants the student to experience the things they love and take risks on the things they may not love or have never tried. Small class size and a unique approach to learning allows the student to find their strengths and capitalize on them. TCS notes that the middle school years are a challenge as students are going from kids to young adults; it provides an environment that allows the students
to stumble, fall and learn how to get up so they can develop themselves into the people that want to become. A smaller environment lets students know everyone and take chances, and they can develop into young ladies and gentlemen without the fear of being ostracized if they do not fit into a mold.
Unique Academic and Extracurricu-
lar Offerings: In addition to traditional core academics, TCS offers activities such as rock climbing, movie making, gardening, year-round sports, ukulele and many more. On the extracurricular side, the school features everything from soccer, volleyball, cross country, basketball, cheerleading and archery to drama, student council, diversity club, culinary arts and fashion design.
Cumberland Academy of Georgia
Cumberland Academy of Georgia
Area of Focus: Students with Asperger’s Syndrome, ADD, ADHD, high-functioning autism and other learning disabilities.
The Middle School Difference: Being a special needs school, Cumberland Academy embraces a whole-child educational approach and infuses social skills into the curriculum. The school focuses on individualized learning and preparing middle schoolers for high school and the next steps. Students enter the Creating Futures program as early as 8th grade to assist them in their journey to becoming independent adults and prepare them for college or a career. Middle school is traditionally more challenging for typical learners with new social pressures and self-discovery; Cumberland supports students with full-time counseling support and focuses on strengthening social and executive functioning skills.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: Cumberland is the first special needs school to receive a Google Apps for Education certification. Computer skills and learning how to navigate the Web become a necessity. All middle school students, both in-person and distance learners, use Chromebooks to access the Google Apps for Education suite daily. Students are also immersed in a social skills curriculum led by the counseling team; topics include self-awareness, resolving conflict, managing emotions and more. Students are offered traditional electives in the arts, including drama, PE, technology skills, coding and construction, and also have opportunities to participate in a variety of clubs that range from Art Club to Girl Talk and in-house sports.
GRACEPOINT School
Area of Focus: Shaping the dyslexic learner’s brilliance by meeting their needs with a unique teaching style.
The Middle School Difference: GRACEPOINT’s goal is for students to become independent and confident learners while being strong advocates for themselves. The school strives to help students move from seeing their dyslexia as a disability to seeing it as a gift that God uses to fulfill His purpose for their lives. Students thrive in a multi-sensory environment, where classes are small, allowing teachers to differentiate the needs of each student.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: At GRACEPOINT, morphology is intentionally integrated into all subjects. Morphological structure helps students with word meaning and improves their vocabulary, which leads to stronger reading comprehension. Finding patterns is a strength for many dyslexics; by teaching the patterns, faculty can utilize this strength to remediate weakness in spelling. Orton-Gillingham-trained teachers address the needs of students with a low student-to-teacher ratio, incorporating multi-sensory and kinesthetic learning. On the extracurricular side, the middle school offers programs such as “Middle School Late Nite” several times per year; students enjoy fellowship, games, bible study and team building exercises while learning leadership skills.
Mill Springs Academy
millsprings.org
Location: Alpharetta Grades: Middle: 5 and 6; PreUpper: 7 and 8
Area of Focus: LD and ADHD students.
The Middle School Difference: In grades 5 and 6, MSA acknowledges and supports the students’ needs to begin exploring independence both academically and socially. In grades 7 and 8, students are supported in their exploration of understanding how he or she learns best. Both sections motivate and empower students to become self-advocates and independent learners. Middle addresses the unique needs of students through learning modifications tailored to each individual student; PreUpper students are invited to actively engage in their environment by starting a club with a teacher sponsor or proposing a trip linked to a program. Breaking the grades into two sections allows students in each section to create a sense of community as they enter into new experiences, and smaller class sizes and sections help prepare students for the greater independence they will experience in grades 9 through 12.
Unique Academic and Extracurricular
Offerings: In Middle, students begin to participate in competitive sports and delve deeper into the school’s fine arts program. In PreUpper, students are introduced to unique electives, including Coral Lab, Composition and Learning Lab. n
