Unlocking Middle School Success

October 1, 2007- It is a proven fact that Grant Gardner, of St. Michael, has the supplest wrists at Providence Academy.  He recently won a spin off against sixty of his sixth grade classmates proving that he could open his locker’s combination lock faster than anyone else.  At a Providence pep fest, he then was pitted against the winners of the seventh and eighth grade and spun his way to victory.  All in all, he out dialed… to the left, to the right and to the left again…over 175 other Middle School students, winning a golden lock as a metal of honor.

Memorizing your locker combination is only one of the skills needed for Middle School success and Principal Steve Cunningham has a list of others.  “The energy of adolescent students is unique,” claims Mr. Cunningham.  His job entails organizing the day for those in their early teens so that the odds of success are in their favor.  Recognizing that Middle School students often need a few extra reminders, Mr. Cunningham moved homeroom from the beginning of the day to the end of the school day.  Students now get a final reminder about homework assignments, forms that need signing and special events right before they leave for home.  This last period of the day, called “Ultima” leaves Middle School students with tomorrow’s tasks fresh in their mind and gives them a chance for social interaction with adults and peers.

Marshall Morris, who works for Taher, Inc. and runs the food service at Providence Academy, noticed that Middle School students seemed to be the hungriest at lunchtime. He suggested that 6^th-8^th grade students move to the early lunch shift as many did not seem to eat much of a breakfast before school and were ravenous by noon.  He finds that younger students, who usually do eat breakfast, appreciate a later lunch.  While moving schedules is difficult, experiments in earlier lunch times help concentration to increase as growling stomachs decrease in Middle School students.  Faster lunch eaters can also take a few minutes to “stretch” in the gym and burn off a bit of physical energy before returning to class. 

Study skills are an area for study in themselves, finds Mrs. Debra Spears, who tackles this quarterly class with 6^th-8^th graders.  She teaches such skills as effective note taking, time management, setting and managing goals, test taking and test anxiety strategies, preparing a bibliography and enhancing critical thinking and data interpretation skills.  Sixth graders are required to take a quarter of keyboarding and speech.  These are skill sets that do not come naturally to many Middle School students.  Developing good study habits at an early age helps students to study smarter and not necessarily harder as they advance to high school.

As they discern their interests and talents, early teens need time to explore options.  A sense of competence or achievement helps them develop the self-definition that they crave.  A quarterly rotation of classes in Middle School allows teens to dabble in different subjects before they commit to elective classes in high school.  Providence Academy requires sixth grade students to take a quarter of cooking and sewing in Family and Consumer Science.  Seventh grade students take a quarter of Industrial Arts where they frame a room, put up dry wall and learn about repairs.  Students take a quarter of music that caters to changing voices by singing with gender specific choirs.  A quarterly art class encourages creative expression while also studying great masterpieces.  Rounding out the rotation is a class that stresses all aspects of healthy living. 

Grant Gardner readily admits that his now legendary lock opening talent is due to a lot of practice.  As a sixth grade student, he is just beginning to unlock other skills that will guide him successfully through his Middle School years.

Sixth grade student, Grant Gardner, and Providence Academy Middle School Director, Mr. Steve Cunningham, celebrate Grant’s win as the fastest combination lock opener in the 6^th-8^th grade.

| News & Events | About the Academy | Lower School | Middle School | Upper School | Curriculum & Extra-Curricular | Admission & Tuition | Sports Information | Contact Us | Home |