Engage in higher-level thinking 
Middle School: Grades 5 - 8
Individualized attention and small class sizes help our middle school students thrive. The Stackner Middle School is a safe space where students can find their voice, explore new directions, and focus on learning. With a strong support system, students this age find the confidence they need to try something new and push their boundaries.
Start a rock band 
Program a robot 
Present your findings 
Pen a novel 
Make lifelong friends 
Middle school students have a lot of energy to burn, so we give them plenty of opportunities to get moving and keep their hands busy. Whether it’s running the trails in daily physical education class, designing a prototype in the Idea Studio, or strumming a guitar in Pine Rock Studios, we channel that energy into creative outlets that encourage intellectual curiosity and original thinking.
Challenging Academics
In the Stackner Middle School, rigorous academics involve in-depth investigations of sophisticated content, as well as applying academic formatting and conventions to scholarly work. In addition to learning content, students are expected to make higher-level thinking connections across academic disciplines, to their own lives and to the world at large. There are a variety of curriculum components that contribute to the rigor of academics.
Students engage in an accelerated vocabulary building program that not only prepares them for college entrance exams, but increases the depth of their writing and reading comprehension. Middle School students read a variety of genres in Language Arts that are often aligned with the Social Studies curriculum. This alignment helps students have a deeper understanding of the selected literature and related historical events.
Math instruction challenges our students not only to develop strong foundational skills, but to strengthen their analytical skills vital to higher level math courses and real-world problem solving situations.
Science is taught with an emphasis on mastering the scientific method and utilizing scientific information as a tool for problem solving. Topics covered include earth, life and physical science.
Effective study, time management and organizational skills are important skills to learn in Middle School. Teachers create an environment that promotes curiosity and a joyful passion for learning while transitioning students from young learners into true scholars.
Independent Thinking
Students are given the opportunity to showcase their developing academic and original thinking skills through independent study and honors projects. Students select a topic of study and work with an advisor to create a proposal. Honors projects in 7th and 8th grade involve documented research and reflection, authentic creativity, and a presentation for an audience of teachers, students and parents. Examples of past projects include, “Unknown Influential Americans,” “How to Teach Spanish,” and “Exploring the Galapagos Islands.” Fifth and 6th grade Genius Hour projects allow students to choose a topic they are interested in, research, and then present their topic at the end of the semester. Topics have included planning a trip to Paris, designing a video game, and the history of sports logos.
These projects encourage Middle School students to demonstrate creativity, organization, public speaking skills, and an effective use of research and resources.
Leadership Skills
ULS develops young leaders through group activities, off-campus retreats, student government and service projects. Once a month students work in multi-age groups to build their community and work on a project, task or problem to solve together. Team-building activities and service projects instill character traits that last a lifetime.
Each year our 8th graders travel to Washington D.C. This four-day trip serves as the culmination of their work in the civics classroom, as well as the leadership lessons and strategies gained during their middle school years. The 5th through 7th graders participate in wilderness retreats that involve team-oriented activities to promote cooperation, communication, group problem solving, and conflict resolution.
Pine Rock Studios
A fun exercise in leadership and personal development, Pine Rock Studios is an opportunity for students to form a band, pick a song, learn instruments, and then perform in front of an audience. The program helps students:
- Navigate complex group dynamics
- Practice good listening and communication skills
- Advocate for their opinion
- Learn to compromise
Students listen, negotiate and collaborate until they are playing their song. A final on-stage performance is a great motivator to encourage students to come together as a band and work through interpersonal complexities.
Hands-On Learning
In Middle School, students develop a greater mastery of content studied as a result of more sophisticated and in-depth hands-on learning activities. These hands-on projects integrate math, engineering, environmental science, art and organizational skills. Students use these skills in a concrete fashion that quickly leads to concept mastery.
Projects include:
- Designing and programming robots
- Tapping maple trees to produce maple syrup
- Creating Rube Goldberg inventions
- Building and racing CO2 cars
Technology
We believe that at the core of technology in education is a model in which technology’s purpose is to enhance the learning experience rather than be the experience. Students and teachers are active participants in their own learning, choosing the best tools to accomplish their goals. Technology is used to develop strategies that allow learners to reflect on the process and make choices that will lead to improved learning outcomes.
