Early Adolescence - A Time of Change

The ages from ten to fourteen are marked by some of the most dramatic physical, social, emotional, and intellectual changes a person will have in a lifetime. It’s not surprising that the students who leave middle school after eighth grade are significantly different than when they entered fifth grade as primary grade children. The changes that students encounter during these years can be drastic, but they aren’t always evenly paced. Physical changes in height and weight, voice, foot size, coordination and sexual development occur on uneven timelines. Boys and girls do not mature at the same time, just as individuals within each gender mature at different rates. It is not unusual, for instance, to have seventh graders that will vary in height by up to two feet. Continue Reading...

They have boundless energy and excitement, which when directed, can produce amazing results.

The Middle School Program

The Middle School program of MPA begins with an understanding of the developmental needs—social, physical, emotional, and intellectual—that students bring to school. The program begins with the assumption that we serve a variety of types of students because they are adolescents and will vary significantly. The Middle School staff relies on research of effective middle schools to help guide and meet the needs of the students as the mission of the school is advanced. Continue Reading...