As a consensus-run school, AMS practices, traditions and norms are heavily shaped by community dialogue. One question recently mulled over during our All School Meeting was “Why Should Teenagers Work?” And, from this lively discussion, we heard strong support for school traditions built around student labor. Some of the most nourishing experiences of AMS life […]
Arthur Morgan School’s 18 day field trips make for powerful learning experiences that help middle schoolers see real world examples of what they learn in the classroom. They also learn other things as well. Here is Rey, an alumna, explaining some of the unexpected lessons that come from a long road trip. “At AMS, our […]
This week most of the students and staff of Arthur Morgan School embarked on their 18 day field trips. They are having a wonderful time learning about philosophy, birth, death and medicine, and forced migrations. This blog post isn’t about them though. We will share their adventures next week, including many firsthand stories from each of […]
It’s a Tuesday afternoon and the students of Arthur Morgan School are having free time. They are skateboarding on the slab, working in the pottery studio, or playing board games in the meeting room. It’s a very different scene from many other middle schools today because one activity is missing: none of these teenagers are […]
It’s my first day of middle school and I am surrounded by strangers. I recognize an old classmate or two from elementary school, but thanks to the alphabetized seating, they are estranged to distant corners of the classroom. Nervously, I look around for a friendly face. A girl to the left of me notices my […]
Going to boarding school occasionally has its disadvantages. For example, the middle schoolers at Arthur Morgan School almost never have a snow day. Since most of the students live right on campus and can walk from their boarding houses to the academic buildings, there is never a reason to cancel school. Even when 2009’s infamous […]
One of Arthur Morgan School’s greatest strengths is its campus. A hundred acres of farm and wilderness mixed with academic and art spaces makes for a perfect boarding school campus that inspire students to learn and express themselves. As a community we are always striving to improve our students’ experience. We want them to take […]
Technology is a complicated issue for many teachers. Educational apps, documentaries, and podcasts, provide valuable and fun learning experiences. However, the frequent use of technology often leads to less interaction between students and may causes a reliance on computers. Just ask any middle school math teacher. The calculator, the most basic form of technology, causes […]
Its a beautiful spring day and several young teenagers are helping me deconstruct a garden bed. Carmella, an eighth grader, is shoveling mulch into a wheelbarrow that her classmate, Silas, then carries to a new plot. On a nearby hillside, a seventh grader and eighth grader are transplanting bushes from one side of a garden […]
At The Arthur Morgan School, we understand students will try their hands at rebellion, and because of this, we have structures to ensure these forays into defiance are safe. This is where our traditions of Sneak Outs and Raids come in.