Middle School

Imagine a middle school where...

  • students take ownership in their own learning and enjoy opportunities to follow their passions, ask questions and challenge the norm.
  • teachers and classmates discuss what it means to be a member of a respectful community.
  • accountability and restoration are the outcomes of conflicts and students are challenged to hear the stories of others.
  • integrity is fostered in and out of the classroom.
  • a journey of faith is nurtured and students discover what it means to be a child of God.

That is Eastern Mennonite Middle School.

Come join us!

Erika Gascho

Erika Gascho
Middle School Principal
gaschoe@easternmennonite.org

Experiential Learning

Physics, chemistry and robotics students host elementary science lessons
IMG_20220330_105343725 (1)
Grade 8, DC visit, Explore Week 2021

In middle school, we challenge students to:

  • build foundational knowledge that will prepare them for academic courses in high school.
  • move from concrete to abstract thinking that will enable them to grasp how specific information connects to the "big picture.”
  • "E-Term" each April provides middle schoolers with a multi-day theme-focused experience by grade. Trips include biking and service projects, and exploring the city, learning to fish and canoe. Each grade participates in a course that ties to their curriculum and is experientially designed to spark discovery.
  • Middle school students enjoy frequent field trips, outdoor learning in nearby Park Woods for science class and other hands-on activity.  

The Arts

7thgrade choir with Jared Stutzman
7th grade art
The Wizard of Oz, spring 2022
  • More than 50% of students 6-8 play an instrument at school
  • Instrument exploration is required in grade 6
  • 7th grade choir
  • Junior choir, grades 8-10
  • Musical theater productions
  • Orchestra and Band
  • The middle school exploratory sequence exposes students to creative endeavors to discover new interests and abilities. Students explore without the pressure of achieving a grade or taking standardized tests.

The exploratory series includes:

  • Singing and instrumental music
  • World languages
  • Theatre
  • Technical education
  • Family consumer sciences
  • Digital citizenship
  • Computer skills and applications

Faith Community

20221013_120607
IMG_2059
Sixth grade leaf raking service, 2022
  • Middle school students participate in School Day Out on the first Friday of the school year to have fun together and build community.  
  • The Junior SCO (Student Council Organization) plans socials and in-school events to bring people together across friend groups and grade levels.
  • The middle school joins high school three days a week for a 20-minute chapel service to hear a speaker, sing, pray and learn together. Every Tuesday, middle school students are part of a Neighbor Group gathering for discussion on a theme, or informal interaction.
  • We often use a “circle process” when difficulties arise to create safe space where everyone has a chance to be heard and everyone is challenged to listen.
  • Each class does a service project together two times a year.

VISITING IS THE BEST WAY TO GET A SENSE OF OUR LEARNING COMMUNITY.