During the fall, students in the middle school participate in several activities that are centered around geopraphic themes. While many of the activities are part of the regular classrrom curriculum,two schoolwide events take place. In November, students take part in the annual Geography Awareness Week poster contest. Each child designs a poster and the students and staff vote to select the two best at each grade level. Then, in December, students in grades six through eight take part in a nationwide geography contest sponsored by the National Geographic Society.
All students participate in the first round which takes place in the social studies classes.
The Three Sisters - A Native American Garden Interdisciplinary units are an important part of the middle school. An interesting part of one of the units taught by the 8 Purple team is the planting of a traditional Native American garden of corn, beans, and squash. Under the direction of Tom Tatone, 8th grade social studies teacher, student volunteers plant a garden in the poolside courtyard following the customs of the Eastern Woodland Indians. In the spring, after the soil is turned, the students form mounds of dirt in which the vegetables, known as the three sisters, are planted. As the plants grow, each provides the other with support, shade, and nutrients.