From the Head of the Middle School

A Vibrant Middle School

Looking back to this past year is not always easy, and as my first year as head of the Middle School comes to an end, I must say that there are several memories that I will truly treasure. This was the second year after the Covid lockdowns, and we started the school year in person yet offered online learning to those who were in quarantine.

As a school we kept rigorous protocols to ensure everyone’s safety at all times. Through all this, our students and staff members thrived as they worked as a team to ensure that positive learning was always taking place.

During the last week of September 2021, we welcomed a new, boisterous cohort of year 7 students whose smiles suitably Covid-masked, obscured their excitement to join the middle school. In spite of this, their excitement was palpable.

A year, a mission

My mission this year was to create a vibrant middle school that would defy expectations and be as energetic and as exciting as its inhabitants are. In October we revived the local tradition of the “Borza ta’ San Martin” and we also held our first ever Halloween classroom decoration contest. It was incredible fun for all, with students improvising spooky stories to entice the audience who visited their class. In truth, the students re-ignited their fun-side, an aspect much-dampened by the health protocols. We also held a Spooky Evening activity at school which included fun games, scary ghost narratives and some creative pumpkin carving to match the spirit of the season.

Deck the halls

Closer to the Christmas season, our halls were decked with baubles, up-cycled decorations and traditional symbols like Christmas trees and hollies. Thanks to Mr Falzon and Mr Camilleri, the Middle School boys were also offered a Crib Making workshop for the first time. This served as a special learning experience during which the boys worked with plaster, paper, soil etc… it was a messy business however the results were satisfying. During the month of December, the Middle school boys together with the Senior and IB students also took part in a charity drive. They collected toiletries for students in need, an initiative that is coordinated by our own school Chaplain Father Manuel Camilleri.

We also ended the year 2021, with the year 8s having the incredible opportunity to go onboard a Mexican ship. This private tour was a welcome outing for the boys that hadn’t been out of college for months. On the last day of the Michaelmas term, the students also took part in many activities on our pitches including soft sword fighting, dodgeball, vortex throw, archery and other fun games.

The second term, with exams in the middle, tends to be more subdued. We had the Sponsored Walk which was revived after a two-year hiatus as well as Sports Day during which parents could also attend. On the last day of term, the boys let loos on an end of term outing to Zejtun. Not only did they get in touch with our local heritage but also got to eat some Ftira en plein-air, played football outside the school grounds and tasted the sweet Karamelli tal-Ħarrub.

Team-Building

A highlight of this year was definitely the team building activities organised by Ms Annette Agius for the boys during the Friday activities. From building towers using marshmallows, to presentation skills; the most satisfying was surely building a cat shelter out of recycled water bottles. We can’t forget the elections of the student council, with a record elected members from the Year 7 group and our youngest School Council President to date: Zac Bianco. The Council was also responsible for a number of fund-raising activities such as an ice-cream day and the sale of potatoes grown on the school grounds. The Council will also operate throughout the Advent term of the next scholastic year where it will seek to improve students’ wellbeing at college. Young Parliamentarians was also very active this year. With coaching sessions happening remotely in some cases, our team made up of year 9-10-11 students proved to be a force to be reckoned with.

Going paperless

The last term of school is always a tough one with the heat increasing and longer days, the fervour in the classrooms is electrifying. A challenge for this scholastic year was to spice up the Subject Choices booklet. This was made digital with new content and a message recording by all teachers involved. The form was also transformed into a digital one to help reduce our paper consumption. 10th June also marked a special day for the Middle school students both future and current ones. The transition activities took place in the morning with the year 6s having a full immersion in the environment of the middle school and meeting some of their future teachers. In the afternoon, it was followed by the Middle School Creative Arts evening. A spectacle of talent by our boys which ranged from different drama pieces, musical interludes and even singing. An art exhibition was also set up. Parents and members of staff were present to enjoy the fresh air outside and the raw talents of our young Edwardians.

I must say that this was a wonderful school year filled with as many “normal” experiences as we could safely allow. The teachers did their utmost to create and present various learning opportunities within their classrooms as possible. From interactive online quizzes to collaborative charts and oral presentations; our students thrived in a vibrant environment that fostered acceptance, intellectual stimulus and interpersonal growth.

Samantha Abela Head of Middle School