The Challenge:
“Much of the research on improving middle and junior high schools is aimed at making them look less like large, impersonal high schools, and more like caring, nurturing elementary schools, while still offering students a challenging, subject-specific curriculum.” -Amy Stuart Wells (full citation below)
Kids sometimes get lost in middle school. Everything is changing: their bodies, their minds, their friendships, and the expectations others have of them. In traditional middle schools, school and class size have become obstacles to creating an effective learning environment. Much recent research (see above) is showing that this model is not working for middle school age children. That is why we do not use it at Pilgrim!
Small, Supportive Classes:
Instead, your child has the same three core teachers over the three years of middle school. This allows the teachers get to know and nurture your child’s abilities and needs. Likewise, your child gets to know the expectations, senses of humor, and teaching methods of the teachers, so in their world where so much is changing, they can draw on this stable base. In other words, we are able to build a relationship with your child and you.
Academic Challenge:
At the same time, we realize that middle school is a great time for kids to make use of their increasing abilities. Whether a child is planning a detailed science fair experiment or a pretend trip to Europe, our curriculum offers regular, innovative, and creative learning projects. Like larger middle schools, students are given the responsibilities of learning to rotate between their classes and track their assignments. Our middle school students are sometimes asked to work with our younger students as “big buddies.” Consistent and high expectations further allow your child to achieve to their full potential. Our classes offer age-appropriate, academically and personally challenging work.
Developing well-rounded people:
In addition, at Pilgrim your child will have a steady and varied menu of extracurricular and athletic activities to choose from. From Chess Club, Choir, Drama and Student Leadership, to Basketball and Cheer, these activities are meant to help students develop their God-given talents and gifts outside of the academic world.
The middle school experience at Pilgrim typically culminates with an eighth grade class trip to Washington D.C. After a year of fundraising, this bonding experience also sneaks in a lot of education in the monuments, battlefields, and museums toured.
When students leave Pilgrim for high school, they regularly are placed in advanced classes. They are prepared.
Wells, Amy S. "Middle School Education--The Critical Link in Dropout Prevention. ERIC/CUE Digest." ERICDigests.Org - Providing Full-text Access to ERIC Digests. Web. 13 July 2010.