How well do you know the middle schooler? They’re domestic beings and comprise approximately ⅓ of the Stuart Hall population. You’ve probably seen one pass by in the hall, or talked to one during a co-curricular, but have you ever gotten to know one? The Stuart Hall middle school population is a small but fundamental part of the Stu community. However, many middle school students feel as though they are often forgotten when decisions are made regarding the STUdent body. “Middle school could definitely be represented better, including SGA members. We hardly ever get respect from upper school students; our views and ideas should be taken into account,” says 6th grader Francie Gingerelli. Francie is one of many middle school students who feel like their opinions are not respected or taken seriously because they are a middle schooler. Despite the plethora of middle schoolers who say they are not taken seriously in the community, there is a population who do believe that they are consistently heard and seen throughout the school. When 8th grader Abinet Caran was asked what his favorite part of middle school at STU was, he answered, “I like how the middle schoolers are heard throughout the school, as well as the trust we are given.”
Another common concern voiced by many middle schoolers is the lack of co-curriculars in comparison to the high school. When 8th grader Claire St. John-Kelley was asked how she felt about the co-curricular offerings, she answered, “ I feel like they’re pretty limited for us at least this year, last year not so much.” While it is recognized throughout the middle school that there are certain reasons why some co-curriculars are offered only to high school students, it is also recognized that sometimes the only reason they are limited is that it is easier to deal with a smaller group of older students, than to include the younger population.
A few high schoolers were asked if they interacted with middle schoolers routinely and if they believed that there should be more opportunities for bonding between the groups. Many said that they interacted with a middle schooler most days but didn’t feel the need to interact with middle schoolers more. When 12th grader Evan Trauner-Coady was asked about how much he thought middle and high schoolers interacted, he answered, “I think they interact minimally, which is not necessarily a bad thing; in a lot of cases there’s a lot of developmental differences between them.” 10th grader Ady Krusz had a differing opinion, stating, “I think that the high schoolers and middle schoolers don’t interact with each other enough and that we should do more activities together.” Kareem El Naggar of 11th grade stated that he didn’t believe there is much interaction between high schoolers and middle schoolers, aside from the bonds between the 8th and 9th graders.
There are many different opinions regarding integration between middle and high school students. Some believe that keeping middle and high schoolers apart is better developmentally, and some believe that there should be more opportunities for integration between the two groups, and more experiences given to middle schoolers. 10th grader Twitch Griffin did not offer much regarding the matter, but did say, “ I love the middle schoolers, most of y’all are bomb.”
Where do you stand?
Article, cover photograph, and interviews conducted by Sarah Crittenden