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](https://cdn.easternmennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/IMG_3486-200x300.jpg)
Erika Gascho
Middle School Principal
gaschoe@easternmennonite.org
Experiential Learning
![IMG_2845 Physics, chemistry and robotics students host elementary science lessons](https://cdn.easternmennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_2845-1000x667.jpg)
![IMG_20220330_105343725 (1) IMG_20220330_105343725 (1)](https://cdn.easternmennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_20220330_105343725-1-1000x667.jpg)
![image_50449921 Grade 8, DC visit, Explore Week 2021](https://cdn.easternmennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/image_50449921-1000x667.jpg)
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
![IMG_9809a 7thgrade choir with Jared Stutzman](https://cdn.easternmennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_9809a-1000x667.jpg)
![IMG_0063 7th grade art](https://cdn.easternmennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_0063-1000x667.jpg)
![WIZARD SET-348 The Wizard of Oz, spring 2022](https://cdn.easternmennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/WIZARD-SET-348-1000x667.jpg)
- 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 20221013_120607](https://cdn.easternmennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/20221013_120607-1000x667.jpg)
![IMG_2059 IMG_2059](https://cdn.easternmennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_2059-1000x667.jpg)
![IMG_9411 Sixth grade leaf raking service, 2022](https://cdn.easternmennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_9411-1000x667.jpg)
- 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.
![](https://cdn.easternmennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/infographics_average_class_size_alllevels-300x150.png)
![](https://cdn.easternmennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/k12_380-300x150.png)
![](https://cdn.easternmennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/infographics_95_extracurriculars-300x150.png)
![](https://cdn.easternmennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/infographics_music_for_all-300x150.png)