Charleston Day School

Charleston Day School

Middle School

Emerging Leaders: Grades 6-8

Charleston Day School ends in the eighth grade, which provides students with many opportunities and advantages. Beginning in 6th grade, students are assigned an advisor as part of our Brick Venture Advisory Program. Advisors meet with their advisees several times a month to help guide students as they strive for personal levels of excellence academically, socially, creatively and physically.

Self Reflection

We use the process of choosing a high school to encourage students to reflect on themselves as learners and identify their priorities for their high school career. Beginning the summer before eighth grade, students meet with their homeroom teacher to begin this discussion. This self-refection is further encouraged during the process of writing the eighth grade speech, which is the capstone experience of Charleston Day’s public speaking curriculum. Students identify an experience that has shaped them and write an essay to present during a speech at assembly.

Leadership

Because they are the oldest members on campus, middle school students focus on the younger students, not high school concerns. They serve as role models for the younger children, and that realization imbues them with a sense of purpose and responsibility.

We’re excited to have the responsibility of being a leader,” said one eighth grader. “We think about how the rest of the school sees us.

High Standards

Our middle school centers on preparing students for the rigorous demands of high school and beyond. Emphasis is placed on the development of fluid, articulate writing skills and solid analytical thinking. Most students graduate with high school credits in Algebra I, French I or Spanish I – many earn credits for French II or Spanish II as well. Public speaking skills are developed through celebrated Charleston Day traditions such as the Dramatic Reading of Julius Caesar and the eighth grade speeches at assembly.

At Charleston Day, exams begin in the sixth grade. Those exams are worth 10% in the fall and 15% in the spring. In seventh and eighth grade, they bump up to 20%.

“We’re stepping them into it, so they are able to learn how to study without fear of major failure,” said sixth grade Language Arts and homeroom teacher Marianne Clare. “Our job is to transition them into high school where they’ve got to know how to review information they learned in August and recall it in December.”

Privileges

Moore House porch

These demands and responsibilities also offer rewards. Seventh and eighth graders take elective classes, which allow them to explore their interests in topics beyond the traditional curriculum.

Some classes offered include German, biology and dissection, Yearbook and The Clarion, a news broadcast show. In eighth grade, students enjoy the long-standing tradition of leaving campus to visit one of the nearby eateries for lunch on a weekly basis.

Beyond Our Gates

Our students consistently are admitted to their first choice of high schools, whether it’s a local public or independent school or a boarding school.

How We Succeed

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