Middle School Newsbite: October 14th, 2026

Our 5th graders had an incredible day at Camp Fairview filled with adventure, teamwork, and plenty of fun! With the support of our high school counselors, students took on a variety of activities that encouraged them to work together, try new things, and support one another along the way.

One of the day’s biggest challenges was the Ridge hike. Students encouraged each other as they made their way along the trail, demonstrating determination, cooperation, and great teamwork. Reaching the top was well worth the effort, as everyone was able to take in the beautiful scenery and celebrate their accomplishment together.

Throughout the trip, students also learned how weather conditions can impact outdoor activities and practiced important survival skills. These hands-on experiences helped reinforce the importance of being prepared, staying safe, and working together when exploring the outdoors.

The day ended with one of everyone’s favorite activities—gathering around the campfire! Students sang songs, shared plenty of laughs, and enjoyed spending time together. It was a wonderful experience that gave our 5th graders the opportunity to learn, challenge themselves, and make lasting memories with their classmates! 

Archery provides students with the opportunity to participate in physical education in a meaningful way. This unit offers a more individualized activity with unique equipment. Students who do not usually excel in team sports often do very well in archery, which helps build confidence in their physical skills. 

A typical physical education curriculum is filled with activities that prioritize speed, agility, strategizing, and teamwork. However, archery homes in on hand eye coordination, reaction time, strength, and body awareness. The outcome/success of the activity is also not tied to a classmates' skill level as it can be in team sports. 

The students enjoy seeing their shots get closer to their target, whether that be the bullseye, a balloon, or a square in tic, tac, toe. They start out very timid, but by the last day of shooting are so much more confident in their newly acquired skills. 

Students can focus on their individual skill and adjust their aim and form after each shot. They get feedback right away by just observing where their shot hit the target. Additionally, because archery is a highly technical activity, students have many opportunities to practice following a series of steps and directions. 

"I am grateful for the opportunity to teach archery again this year. A great deal of work went on behind the scenes by administrators and custodians to get the program back up and running," Physical Education/Health Teacher Victoria Marley said. "I am also happy that we are able to offer this program again because of its ability to be a lifelong activity and a way to broaden the horizons of our student population."

The goal is to teach archery every year, though the timing may change. 

Our middle school STEM students are working in teams to solve a design challenge. They are designing, building, testing and modifying an orthosis that stabilizes the ankle and foot of a Cerebral Palsy patient. 

 

STEM students are exploring the steps of the design process and using a decision matrix to evaluate product prototypes. These images demonstrate the progression of the student designs from the conceptualization to design of the prototypes. 

Our middle school celebrated Week of Respect with a fun-filled week of spirit days designed to encourage students to show kindness, positivity, and respect toward one another. 

Each day gave students a different way to participate, from “Be a Fan of Respect” by wearing a favorite team jersey or team attire, to “Make Respect a Pattern in Your Life” with favorite patterns, “Hats Off to Respect,” and wearing positive-message shirts for “Respect Your Words.” 

We wrapped up the week with “Respect Your School” by having everyone wear blue. It was a great week of school spirit and an opportunity for our students to show that respect starts with the way we treat ourselves, our peers, and our school community! Way to go Eagles!

Our 7th-grade scientists explored the basics of heat transfer through a fun, hands-on challenge! Students raced against one another to be the first to free a bead trapped inside a frozen ice cube. 

As they worked, they observed how heat moves from warmer surroundings to colder ice, causing it to melt. This exciting activity brought science to life as students used observation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills to investigate how heat transfer works!