It's been a busy week in our two upper divisions . . . returning from Winter Break and going full steam ahead is the Aardvark way!
Middle School Home
Driven by “what’s best for students,” teaching and learning in the OES Middle School foster connections and cultivate creative and critical thinking. Because the Middle School years are a time of great transition, the OES Middle School creates a learning environment where students can take risks and feel supported by the community.
Students in the Middle School experience:
- A focus on community through our grade level advisory program and experiential class trips that range from learning outdoor skills at Mt. St. Helens to bringing plays to life at the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.
- An inquiry-driven curriculum where students are guided to craft thoughtful questions, respond constructively to setbacks, and share what they have learned with the community in every subject from history to science.
- An emphasis on student wellness and mindfulness through Health and Wellness classes to thoughtful counseling programs for academic and social/emotional needs.
Through programs such as advisory, morning Gathering, and Service Learning, teachers connect with students and offer them academic and social, and emotional support.
Starting in early December, Middle School students, faculty, and staff began collecting new socks and stashing them in the metal aardvark sculpture in the Middle School lobby.
This week, bestselling author Jamie Ford visited Middle School English classes who read his historical fiction book, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, this fall.
For the second year in a row, Upper School History Teacher and History Department Chair Stephanie Portman gathered a group of her Modern Social Movements students to teach classes to Middle School history students.
Project X is an exciting inquiry program that emphasizes a growth mindset, process over product, and authentic student-driven learning.