"Students bring an inborn curiosity about their world into the classroom.   Teaching is the art of stimulating this interest and directing it in a productive way.  At St. Mark's the dedicated teacher and the student with intellectual promise come together in making this ideal a reality." DEAN BAIRD Middle School Science and Computer Teacher

There is perhaps no greater challenge in education than in the Middle School years.  Your son is growing from childhood to adolescence, emerging from dependence on adults to increased desire for independence.  Physically, intellectually, and emotionally these years are characterized by change.  The Middle School program aims at capitalizing on the distinct qualities and traits of the Middle School boy.

Energy, enthusiasm, movement, curiosity, questions about who one is becoming, a desire to be nurtured while seeking to have some adult responsibilities -- these and more define the Middle Schooler.  Our faculty addresses these issues squarely, working diligently to focus on each boy's attention on his education in and out of the classroom.  Rigorous academics coupled with a wide array of extracurricular offerings shape lifelong habits and interests.  Boys are taught that striving to do one's best and developing new talents can be as rewarding and fulfilling as achieving established goals.  To underscore our belief that younger boys should develop a love of learning, course grades are not given until the seventh grade.

The Middle School program is arranged by departments to offer a planned sequence of courses which teach increasingly sophisticated skills in Humanities, Foreign Language, Mathematics, and Science.  High expectations are coupled with a flexible program that may place boys in the same grade but at different levels in Foreign Language or Mathematics depending upon prior experience or success.  Underlining the School's commitment to educate the "whole boy," students are involved in Fine Arts courses and daily physical education or interscholastic athletics in all Middle School grades and they participate in an outdoor education program.

Boys experience growth, friendship, joy, and accomplishment during their Middle School years.  Our primary goal is to make this exciting stage of development highly productive personally and academically for each boy.  He leaves intellectually, physically, and emotionally prepared for the Upper School.  The transition to the Upper School is symbolized by participation in the Pecos Wilderness Trip which is required of boys entering the ninth grade.  This 25-year tradition is a St. Mark's rite of passage and provides each new class with a challenging and exhilarating common experience.

WARREN FOXWORTH
Head of the Middle School