Schools and their surrounding communities often share a symbiotic relationship. When a neighborhood flourishes, so does its local schools. In turn, those schools bring their community together through events and friendships amongst the students. For Arthur Morgan School, the partnership with its surrounding community runs deep. Two Halves of the Same Whole Arthur Morgan helped […]
Thanksgiving week is fast approaching and that means it’s turkey season. Every year, Arthur Morgan School raises its own turkeys and processes them for our Thanksgiving feast. In 2010 the online magazine Grist featured the school’s annual turkey harvest in an article which drew many mixed emotions. Some commenters felt teaching middle schoolers about processing turkeys was a […]
“What school is right for my child?” It is a common question. I’ve watched friends grapple with this question for years, but never believed it would be a question my husband and I would be asking. We started our version of this discussion when our son was about to enter eighth grade and we realized […]
In seventh grade, I experienced my first real academic failure. My science teacher assigned us a large project. We had to research and present about the different organ systems of a specific animal. As an awkward seventh grader, I was not excited about this idea. Puberty and new social dynamics had hit me hard and […]
One the most frequent questions parents ask about Arthur Morgan School is, “Where do students go after they leave AMS?” Parents want to know that our emphasis on experiential learning, hands-on classes, and limited use of technology will transfer successfully to high school. They want their adolescents to be prepared for the next step of […]
“Dumbo Melonhead!” My friends in seventh grade gave me this nickname after an unfortunate haircut showed off my very prominent ears and round scalp. Even after my hair grew back and hid my ears once again, the nickname stuck. I lived with it for years. People who had never seen the haircut still called me […]
Leaf season is always a special time. Thousands of people flock to the Blue Ridge Parkway in these few precious weeks of October to see the mountains transform in a collage of canary yellow, sunburnt orange, and rusty red. It’s an annual cycle that lets us know the final harvest is here and it’s time […]
Creating a science curriculum for middle schoolers can be a challenging experience. Much of the material available to teachers is either directed at the elementary or high school levels. Teachers must either choose between childish introductory activities or heavy texts that get too complicated. Middle schoolers require a different methodology of teaching. In the National […]
I was bullied in middle school. It’s not a story I tell many people, but around seventh grade, I was at an all time low. I was being beat up relentlessly in my classes. Kids teased me about my clothes, the way I talked and even how I walked. I felt constantly watched and always […]
“Ahhhhh, George*, stop being such an idiot,” the rain soaked, 13 year old girl in front of me screamed as she threw down her heavy back. George halted, mumbling the last few words of the song he was singing loudly only a second before. The rest of the group stopped mid-step. They stared at Stephanie […]