Middle School

A Message from the Director

Welcome to the Portledge Middle School! According to Steve Hahn, our head of school, “people + program + place = Portledge pride.” I couldn’t agree more. Here in the middle school, we dedicate our people, our programs, and our space to nurturing and challenging our middle schoolers as they transition from childhood to young adulthood. We are proud of and delight in the environment in which middle schoolers thrive.

Our teachers understand that for middle schoolers this is a time of self-exploration and self-definition. They teach and coach the whole child and understand their critical role in helping young adolescents develop confidence and become more independent. Middle schoolers are constantly changing, and our teachers themselves are energized by this. After infancy, adolescence is the time of the greatest emotional and physical growth humans experience, and our teachers are aware of the potential and the vulnerabilities of children this age.

Teachers enjoy interacting with students throughout the day, both formally and informally. Almost all experienced teachers in the building are advisors, and they are their advisees’ advocates, looking out for their physical, emotional, social and intellectual well-being. Our middle schoolers are a diverse group and are expected to treat one another with respect. The values of honesty, integrity, and respect for the individual are the foundation from which all relationships grow and flourish. Open communication between teachers and parents strengthens the bonds in the middle school.

In middle school, teachers know that their students learn most effectively when they are emotionally engaged and actively involved; middle schoolers learn best by “doing.” Teachers challenge themselves to make the most of the substantial energy and enthusiasm that characterize middle schoolers. Classrooms and practice areas, along with fields, rinks and courts, are learning spaces where risks are taken in an environment of mutual trust and understanding. Our program is varied, and opportunities to experience and explore are numerous. Middle schoolers study a core curriculum, and they further develop a variety of communication, problem-solving, thinking, listening, and organization skills, which results in increasing academic self-confidence. Students participate in the visual and performing arts, and are all members of a variety of athletic teams. They can also become involved in student government and contribute to the middle school newspaper. Sixth graders bond and develop independence through an overnight outdoor education class trip, seventh graders visit New York City during a class trip that correlates with their history curriculum, and eighth graders explore our nation’s capital together. Each class usually sponsors a community service project. Students in the middle school do not just attend, they belong!

The Huson R. Gregory Carriage House, an ideal middle school building, facilitates the synergy between our people and our programs. It is spacious enough to allow middle schoolers the freedom to move without knocking into walls or each other, and open enough to invite easy communication among faculty and students. Our beautiful atrium, with its comfortable sofas, plentiful books, high ceiling and wall of windows, is full of light, with room for socializing, reading, displaying student creations and sharing news about current or upcoming events. Recent renovations have resulted in appealing classrooms, state-of-the-art science labs, soundproof practice rooms, and a gathering place for meetings and performances. Our sense of community is enhanced by such welcoming surroundings.

Michael Thompson, a well known psychologist, author, and school consultant, noted that when adults are offered the opportunity to relive a particular age, almost no one chooses to revisit middle school. My goal is to change that! With
the help of committed faculty, staff, parents, and most importantly, the terrific middle schoolers we have at Portledge, my hope is that along with a solid educational foundation, students will have lifelong fond memories of the people, programs and place that shaped their middle school experience. For more information about our Middle School Curriculum, click here.

Susan Edwards-Bourdrez
Middle School Dean