Student Life

Middle School

THE MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS

The middle school years are periods of tremendous growth for students, and Field’s goal is to help our sixth, seventh, and eighth graders become more independent and responsible while always providing a close and supportive guiding hand—the right blend of individuality and connectedness. Field does this by keeping the middle school small, providing a distinct advising program, and providing these younger students with an experience that is somewhat separate from the upper school but allows for some healthy crossover through the mentor program, the activities and honors program, and our commitment to allowing everyone to have lunch together.

A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE, BUT STILL PART OF THE COMMUNITY

Field provides middle school students with experiences that are distinctly their own in academic, athletic, studio, and social arenas while also allowing students areas of contact with older students and the school as a whole. The middle school has its own identity—with a distinct daily schedule, studio program, and advisory experience—yet it participates fully in all-school assemblies and in each day's common lunch period.
Each middle school student has a 10th, 11th, or 12th grade mentor that they meet with regularly throughout the year in a program carefully overseen by the school.

Additionally, though middle school sports are mostly separate, our eighth grade students may play with older students on some sports teams when it is appropriate. While many activities are tailored for middle schoolers, our jazz ensemble might well feature an 8th grade drummer playing behind an 11th grade singer, or middle school students might serve as a jury for the 12th grade mock trial.

Field's middle school balances regular, structured "middle schoolers-only" activities with participation in the larger world of the school.


DEDICATED SMALL-GROUP MIDDLE SCHOOL-ONLY TIME

A key “middle schoolers-only” time is the advisory period that ends the school day four days of each week. This is a time when advisors guide and encourage students as they work on developing and fine-tuning their organizational skills, advancing their study skills, beginning or strengthening the habit of cleaning and organizing their lockers and backpacks, and improving their problem-solving and goal-setting. Middle school students also meet one-on-one with their faculty advisor to discuss grade reports, academic and personal goals, and to organize and plan their school work.
 
During Advisory, students also venture out into the community with their faculty advisors to take part in service projects, outdoor education, and academic adventures. Students benefit from this blend of age-specific programs and classes, all within the larger context of purposeful contact with the rest of the Field community. The experience helps students learn with their role models, become part of the school, and grow.

Size

Each year, the 6th grade usually contains around 24 students, the 7th grade contains 33-35 students, and the 8th grade contains 35-40 students.

Advisory Program

Students meet four days per week as a middle school, grade, small group or one-on-one with a teacher to work on study skills, organization, problem-solving, and community-building. Also, the program uses a weekly block period for larger middle school-only activities such as Middle School Idol, middle school Olympics, project time, health education programming and field trips. Students take part in grade-level community service projects, outdoor education activities, and goal-setting on a regular basis.

Studio Arts Program

All middle school students take a studio art class every day beginning at 8:00 a.m. Each class runs for one semester, allowing students to explore their interests throughout the year. Subjects include ceramics, photography, drawing/painting, music, theater, dance, journalism, and digital art.

Middle School Intramural Team

Middle schoolers participate in a sport during all three seasons—and they have the option between a physical education class, an after-school sports team, and a special middle school-only skill-building option (Middle School Intramural Team). Read more about our middle school athletics program here. 

The Middle School Team

List of 3 members.