Middle School Activities

Middle School students have a wide assortment of activities offered 
both as in-school and after-school programs. 
Many students participate in several activities during the year.

INTRAMURALS

Our weekly Intramural Program is very popular with middle school students. All students participate in this spirited, healthy, team competition on Wednesday afternoons. Each week, red and blue teams play each other in various sports, games, and fun activities to earn points for their team. A field day in the spring is the culmination of the year's intramural events, and the winning team, red or blue, is announced at the end-of-year Celebration Ceremony.

MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICAL

Each year a large number of our students participate in the Middle School Musical. Students practice after school beginning in late October/early November until the performance date in late January/early February. Students may participate as stage managers, preparing scener,y and assisting with props.

Recent performances include:

2007-08 - Once Upon a Mattress
2006-07 - Once on This Island
2005-06 - Annie
2004-05 - Fiddler on the Roof
2003-04 - The Music Man
2002-03 - Into the Woods
2001-02 - Guys and Dolls

STUDENT COUNCIL ACTIVITIES

Each middle school grade elects representatives to serve on the Middle School Student Council. These students are involved in a variety of leadership activities, including:

• Leadership retreats

• Planning student activities including spirit week, school picnics, dress down days

• Serving as school ambassadors; welcoming new students and parents

• Hosting middle school dances

• Leading community service efforts such as organizing holiday projects, supporting the Eblen Foundation and Heifer International.

Enthusiasm is contagious during a middle school pep rally.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Sixth graders prepare and serve meals and assist disadvantaged mothers and their children through a local shelter.

Seventh-grade students participate in monthly visits to the Givens Estates Retirement Community where they establish warm relationships with their assigned residents. Students learn about the lives and contributions of these senior citizens. They bake cookies together, talk about school and share interests. At times, 7 th graders attend programs where Givens Estates residents speak on historical experiences such as serving in the military, or in the Peace Corps, or as a missionary. CDS students host a picnic for the residents in the spring where they involve the residents in dancing, singing, conversation and games.

Service projects for the 8 th grade vary from year to year. 8 th graders do participate in a day-long service project during the fall Middle School Overnight. Examples of past Overnight projects include building trails, restoring a revolutionary/Civil War cemetery, and raking leaves for the elderly. Our 8 th grade students are frequently involved in service that promotes greater understanding of their global curriculum, often assisting at a local food bank, participating in Hunger Banquets, Sustainability Conferences, etc.

In addition, each middle school grade is matched with a lower school grade for a “Buddy Program.” MS students and their individual buddies (6 th graders with 1 st graders, 7 th graders with 2 nd graders, and 8 th graders with 3 rd graders) get together several times a year for a variety of activities, giving MS students the opportunity to serve as role models for younger students—reading and writing together, doing a joint service project, or sharing classroom projects/presentations.

The Middle School recognizes students who commit their time to the service of others beyond the activities that occur within their individual grades. We present the Middle School Community Service Award each year to students who accumulate at least 35 hours of service. Since our aim is to foster the habit of service, students are eligible for this award each year of their middle school experience.

Students raised money for Heifer International and one way was by voting for which middle school staff person got to kiss the chicken. Ms. Daniels, middle school principal, was the winner.

SCHOOL/CLASS TRIPS

Middle School Overnight The MS Overnight is a two-day, one-night outdoor education experience for all middle school students held at a local camp during the second week of school. Students participate in community building and cooperative learning activities that directly support our middle school program and philosophy. This event also serves an important role in transitioning new students into our program. Sixth-Grade Class Trip In the spring, the sixth grade participates in a local three-day, two-night outdoor learning experience in beautiful Western North Carolina . This trip supports and enhances the sixth grade science and social studies curriculum, combining natural science study, community building activities, and adventure based activities which all tie directly into the "Communities" theme of their third trimester study. Seventh-Grade Class Trip This three-day, two- night spring trip to Charleston , SC brings together curricular themes from seventh-grade science and social studies. Students step beyond the classroom and travel to the heart of the Old South to experience this 300 year-old city, its historic district, the Battery, Fort Sumter, the SC Aquarium, the natural habitat of the region, etc. The rich and colorful history of this area comes alive for our 7 th graders as they experience and gain deeper understanding of their study of Revolutionary and Civil War times. Eighth-Grade Class Trip As a culmination of their modern language study in the middle school, eighth-grade students have the opportunity to experience first-hand the culture and language (French or Spanish) they have been studying in the Middle School. A two-week international trip to Spain or France in early May is one of the highlights of our middle school program. Students live with Spanish/French families, experience the culture and taste the cuisine, visit local schools, travel the countryside, tour museums, and most importantly, speak the language they have been learning in school. Of course, whenever there are significant international safety concerns for travel, the administration will determine whether or not these trips will occur. In addition, for those students who do not choose to travel internationally, we offer a domestic educational trip to a location such as Boston or Washington, DC. This trip is planned and announced each fall and the location varies from year to year.   In addition to the larger trips, each grade has class-related field trips to local sites.