Recognizing Excellence in Middle School
On a chilly evening in late November, Middle School students and their families gathered in the Middle School Center to recognize the high-quality work students had accomplished throughout the semester. Projects from all subjects—science, social studies, mathematics, language arts, integrated studies, and Spanish—adorned the walls, tables, and parts of the ceiling. Even floor space was used to show off students’ coaster cars, an integrated studies project.
The evening began with a welcome by Principal Samantha Dry, who explained the significance of the updated awards. In previous years, only faculty members awarded recognitions of excellence. This year, in addition to the orange ribbons marking faculty recognition, purple ribbons highlighted projects honored for excellence by student vote. The change, indicative of the student-centered approach in Middle School, came after students asked for the opportunity to give awards for the good work they see.
Dry calls Evening of Excellence a “wonderful opportunity for students to show their thinking, to make their thinking visible.” As she explains, “it develops a tremendous sense of pride in the students to show excellent work and to be part of a community that expects excellence and delivers.”
A walk-through followed the welcome, giving families time to hear from their students about the work that went into different projects. One mother noted how “engaging and interactive” the students’ work was, exclaiming, “We had an amazing time tonight!”
Once the guests had circulated throughout the Middle School, students and their families went into rooms according to grade level. Each student then spoke for two minutes about the effort put into the piece of work he or she was most proud of.
By all accounts, students enjoyed the evening as much as the parents. “What I love about Evening of Excellence is that I get to showcase all my work, and it makes me really proud of everything I accomplished,” eighth-grader Drew explained. His classmate Zawadi agreed, commenting, “I really put a lot of effort into some of these works, and it’s nice to appreciate it and share it with everybody.”
The slideshow below offers a peek at November’s Evening of Excellence.