Middle School
Classes Six-Eight
Middle School students engage with deep questions, becoming critical thinkers and active participants in discussions. Teachers cultivate an encouraging culture that builds belonging and mature relationships around what is true, good, and beautiful.
Middle School is a time of growing community development. This is fostered through the house system and overnight field trips where students learn, grow and play together. Clubs, ensembles, and competitive sports help students find their niche and develop their own unique talents and interests.
What We Teach
In Bible, students tackle the Major and Minor Prophets, the Wisdom books of the Old Testament, the book of Acts and the General and Pauline Epistles. Teachers lead students to a deep understanding of the text and encourage a genuine encounter with Christ.
Middle school students learn to detect fallacies in arguments and develop core tools for thinking.
Logic is introduced as a formal subject in 6th grade, as students learn to detect fallacies in arguments alongside core tools for thinking. They then move to the building of their own arguments, using Aristotle’s 5 common topics. In 8th grade they study the syllogism in deductive logic.
History studies anchor middle school students’ ongoing training in the liberal arts.
History studies anchor students’ ongoing training in the liberal arts. 6th grade covers the Middle Ages and the Age of Exploration. 7th and 8th grade emphasize the study of American History during the Revolutionary and post-Civil War periods.
Our comprehensive math curriculum teaches pre-algebra and prepares students for calculus.
Math switches from Singapore to Saxon, following the pre-Algebra sequence that integrates Geometry and aims to prepare students for Calculus their Junior year.
Our literature curriculum encompasses a rich selection of age-appropriate texts.
Our curriculum includes an array from the historical period as well as classic literature choices for that age level. Students take their analysis to a deeper level, as they wrestle with characterization and literary themes.
Middle school students prepare for physics, biology, and chemistry in the high school years.
We use the Novare science curriculum to prepare middle school students for the rigors of physics, biology, and chemistry in the high school years. They study astronomy, entomology, technology, and human anatomy and physiology, engaging in a rich array of labs and field trips.
Middle school students will participate in music and art studies inspired by a variety of resources.
Composer, poet and artist studies continue with 2 of each per year. Students now have a rich background in a variety of genres and styles and can engage in comparative discussions. In addition, both art and music instruction continue throughout Middle School.
Middle school students continue to write descriptive, comparative, and argumentative works.
Writing continues on a formal level as students continue to write descriptive, explanatory, comparative and argumentative paragraphs across the disciplines. They master the 5 paragraph essay format by 8th grade.
From our Journal
5 Cozy Reading Nook Ideas for Children
Faculty Interviews
Erik Bertsche
“‘The Best I Can’ is a reminder to pursue whatever task is at hand with excellence. There is a freedom in coming to terms with the reality that ‘doing the best you can’ does not mean ‘be perfect’.”