Middle school is a place and time for students to discover their gifts and talents. To facilitate that, our curriculum is exploratory based, with students engaging in a variety of activities and ways of presenting their learning. An additional feature of middle school is the opportunity to participate in specific life-skill courses.
In grade 6 our students experience two or three rounds of courses that focus on Practical Arts. These courses run for one afternoon each week for three weeks. Some examples of these courses include the Baby-sitting course, a cooking course, a course in constructing a skim-board, and a course in the basics of photography.
The grade 7 Exploratory courses run on a similar schedule, but involve Recreational Arts. Examples of grade 7 courses include hiking, bowling, working out at the rock-climbing gym, and golfing.
In grade 8, our Exploratories are formalized and are part of the weekly schedule for the entire school year. Grade 8 students take a Home Economics course that includes cooking and textiles. Both elements of the Home Economics course are taught by high school teachers in the high school specialty rooms. Grade 8 students also take a Technology Education course that covers basic woodworking and a short unit on metal-work. One of the high-lights from the Tech. Ed. Course is the design, construction and racing of CO2 powered cars!