03. Middle School Project

In addition to their regular classes, students will complete a Middle School Project on a topic of their choice. This assignment is intended to increase student engagement and ownership by giving them an opportunity to explore a topic of personal interest that may lay outside the regular academic curriculum or cut across disciplines. Although the Middle School Project is not graded, students will be required to present the product of their work during a final presentation before Spring Break.

Essential Features:

• A four-month project on a topic of personal interest.
• The project will involve exploration in a variety of modes (such as research, reading, writing, drawing, interviewing, going places, building), creation of a product, and a 20-minute presentation.
• Students will have dedicated time to work on the project during school. Use of Essential Time is also encouraged.
• Students will choose a faculty content advisor.
• Students must check in with their content advisor every other week.
• Students will complete a checklist, a brainstorming form, and written progress reports at regular intervals.
• Two or three students may collaborate on a project. However, each student will be responsible for fully contributing to each phase of the project, from beginning to end, and for meeting all deadlines.
• Start date: Early October.
• Completion: Early February.
• Presentation: Early March.
• The project is included as an item in the Middle School Portfolio.