Junior High Learning Community

The junior high model in education, originally developed in the early 1900s, was intended to bridge the gap between elementary school and high school. The model consists of teachers, working as a team and teaching the same group of students, each one specializing in a different content area.

Junior High community provides opportunities for students to become leaders of the school in the classroom and beyond. Students can choose to participate in athletics, choir, band, retreats, math club, book club, dances, and school musical.

Classrooms are designed to foster mutual respect and acceptance, allowing students to take academic risks, think, wonder, work collaboratively to develop 21st Century skills. Following a team approach, the Saint Mary Staff focuses on educating the whole child, which is an integral component of the junior high concept.

Our junior high teachers articulate with the area high schools, as well as other local junior highs, departmentally. These articulations provide us with data on how our children are performing in high school and allow us to direct our Saint Mary curricula based on statistics and student performance. They also give us an indication of where the high school curricula are headed and allow us to tailor our programs to best prepare our Saint Mary students.

By employing a team approach to education we can ensure we are providing current, relevant and aggressive programming for our students – to support them in the transition to high school and prepare them for life.