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Grades 7-8
Grades 7-8
During boys’ transition into adolescence in the Middle School, teachers are role models whom the boys respect and admire.
In Middle School, we focus on increasing boys’ aptitude for challenge in all areas, broadening their interests, and fostering their social-emotional growth. We accomplish these goals by cultivating close relationships between teachers and students, which may be glimpsed by a high-five in Spanish class or a conversation during recess. As our teachers come to know each boy, they can draw the most effort and success from him and vary their instruction, coaching, and mentorship accordingly.
student
Form I Dean and Middle School Math Teacher
During these middle years, it’s expected and appropriate for boys to experiment with different ways of doing things, from organizational skills to time management to writing creatively and thinking analytically.
Whether the road is straight and smooth, or circuitous and full of potholes, each step is essential to your son’s growth.
- erin duffy, Head of middle school
14
Average Class Size
100
Movement Minutes per Day
41%
Students of Color
Academics
Our Middle School curriculum equips boys with the tools to thrive in our challenging Upper School courses.
Teachers collaborate across disciplines to present an integrated academic experience that mimics learning in the real world. They also design lessons that are active, engaging, and developmentally appropriate. As they progress through the Middle School, boys hone the skills that make them deep thinkers, proficient writers, and strong public speakers.
Rotating Schedule
Middle School boys have schedules that rotate each day. This rotation ensures students experience their classes at different times during the week when they feel most engaged in learning.
Movement Breaks
Boys need to move in order to focus and process. Multiple breaks during the day rejuvenate boys’ brains, boost cognitive development, and contribute to overall wellness.
Science Labs
Landon's three science labs have state-of-the-art equipment, such as the wave machine, which allows students to visualize concepts from storm surge flooding to radio waves.
10
Students per Advisor
3
Science Labs
4
Languages Offered
Teacher-Coach-Mentor
Boys work harder and achieve more when they respect and connect with their teachers.
Landon faculty members are experts in boys’ education and know that boys will only fully open themselves to intellectual challenges and inspirational ideas when they trust that their teachers genuinely care about their well-being and success.
Dijon Anderson, for example, serves as the Grade 7 dean, a math teacher, as well as a soccer and basketball coach.
This is the basis of our entire educational approach—what we call teacher-coach-mentor. Our teachers get to know your son not only in the classroom but also in the chorus room, on the playing field, and in ethics discussions. See how below!
How we learn
A new project in the Middle School encourages self-reflection, personal growth, and mutual respect. Find out how students used Ethics and Community time to reflect on and embrace their core values and character.
Grade 7 science students look to crack the code and construct an effective egg protection device. Will their designs withstand the egg drop?
A writing challenge expands world geography knowledge for Grade 7 students and fosters a spirit of collaboration and mentorship. Find out how Grade 3 boys helped their fellow Bears reach a final draft.
Design, creativity, and problem-solving skills went into overdrive with the latest Middle School STEM challenge. Find out how students are strengthening their resolve and their eye for engineering.
Experiential and service learning combine in a dynamic, two-day adventure for Middle School boys.
Two Middle Schoolers outpaced thousands of students across the country with their performance in the American Mathematics Contest (AMC 8).
Grade 7 earth science students learn about the magnitude of structural integrity. Watch how they use straws, tape, and their design skills to build a structure strong enough to survive a simulated earthquake.
Grade 7 science students take inspiration from Bill Nye, the Science Guy as they learn about the Earth’s interior. Find out how they use their research skills, creativity, and personalities to captivate and inform their audience.
Grade 8 history students leave campus for a day of experiential learning. Find out how their thoughtful approach to a museum visit helped take their learning to the next level.
Grade 8 English students bring stage presence to their study of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Find out how students read, watch, and perform the play for deeper understanding.
Middle School students tackle the numbers behind the sports they love in a Sports Analytics club through our LEAP afterschool program.
Middle School art students study the creativity behind album covers and craft their own replicas in the Album Cover Challenge.
Middle School Theater Arts students step off the stage to learn about the technical side of putting on a production. Find out how they use skills and knowledge from other subjects to bring their ideas to life.
Grade 7 students take their art skills to new depths with one-point perspective drawings. Find out how the new look of campus is inspiring projects in multiple classes.
The Banfield Academic Center, located in the middle of our academic campus core, is the new Middle School home and also includes Upper School spaces. Find out how Middle School students and faculty are settling in.
Daily Schedule
Landon’s daily schedule for Middle School begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 3:40 p.m., with aftercare options until 6 p.m.
Landon's developmentally appropriate, rotating daily schedule maximizes students' most attentive time periods. There are also multiple movement breaks during the day so boys can feel refreshed and ready to refocus on learning. This daily schedule is one example; other days could include:
- advisory
- ethics
- diversity, equity, and inclusion
- health and wellness
- digital citizenship and research
- study halls
- office hours with teachers
Top Row
Middle Row
Bottom Row
Each spring, every Middle School student chooses to participate in one of 15 Mini-Mester classes—a two-day experiential learning program designed by faculty that includes programs like Appalachian Trail overnight, big city/small trees, DC history and art, digital photography, and the ancient art of barbeque!
2023 Mini-Mester
Portrait of a Graduate
Landon students are offered a unique experience. Our goal is that they will do something with it, that they will make a positive difference in their communities and the larger world, in ways big and small.
Our goal is that they will become virtuous and well-rounded men who contribute and give back to the common good out of both a sense of personal responsibility and an awareness that much has been given to them. Our ambition is that Landon graduates might be described individually and collectively – and throughout their lives – as persons who live into these characteristics and mindsets.
Arts
Middle School students take courses in studio art and performing arts every year.
While we continue to introduce a range of arts offerings to Middle School boys, we also encourage them to identify their talents for specific disciplines and instruments. In the performing arts, boys can choose between theater, band, chorus, handbells, or strings.
Music
Music choices in the Middle School include band, chorus, handbells, and strings—and the Jazz Ensemble, which includes Upper School students. These groups perform in concerts at school seasonally and around Washington, D.C., at the Kennedy Center and D.A.R. Constitution Hall. They also score top marks at competitions, such as the Music in the Parks Festival in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Boys pursuing band, strings, or jazz attend group practices during the day and individual lessons at Landon after school.
Studio Art
Middle School students start with the basic techniques of drawing and design in Grade 6, where they experiment with pencil, pen, colored pencil, charcoal, paint, and sculpture. In Form I (Grade 7), boys learn painting techniques and color theory. Projects become more complex, including one that is based upon a global style of art called aboriginal dot painting. By the time boys finish their three large, multi-step projects in Form II (Grade 8), boys have developed a mastery of the foundations of drawing, painting, and design.
Theater
Our theatrical arts class teaches on-stage acting, as well as behind-the-scenes skills such as lighting, sound, and set design—and students perform for the entire Middle School at various times throughout the year. Even if they are not enrolled in the theatrical arts class, boys can participate in the Middle School’s annual productions in conjunction with our sister school, Holton-Arms. Recent productions include High School Musical Jr., Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, and Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach.
100%
Of Students Participate in Performing and Studio Arts
12
Instruments to Choose From
22
Courses in Music, Studio, and Theater Arts
Middle School art students demonstrated creativity and attention to detail in the Getty Challenge: to find a painting they liked from a museum and use items in their home to recreate it!
Getty Challenge
Athletics
Because athletics represents a great way to develop invaluable skills like resilience, teamwork, and leadership, every boy in Landon’s Middle School participates in an interscholastic or intramural sport every season.
We know that boys who learn physical wellness in Middle School are more likely to carry their healthy habits throughout their life. As boys begin to compete against other schools, our teacher-coach-mentors guide boys in their development as athletes and as young men of high character.
Athletic Facilities
Season | Sport |
---|---|
Fall | Cross Country Football Soccer Water Polo |
Winter |
Basketball |
Spring |
Baseball |
Health, Wellness & Fitness
Our work with boys around health, wellness, and fitness is found in every facet of the Middle School experience.
Using the teacher-coach-mentor model, our teachers develop deep and meaningful relationships with the boys and address larger issues like empathy, self-esteem, sportsmanship, and humility in a one-on-one capacity. We also instill in the boys that being active isn't only about athletics. It can be fun and good for you!
In health and wellness classes, we provide students with the knowledge and tools necessary to make informed decisions and control their own well-being. Boys learn how to make proper food choices, develop a good sleep routine, and handle stress and anxiety. They learn about their changing bodies and proper hygiene as well as relationships, communication, and consent. Other topics include: marijuana, tobacco, alcohol, technology, and bullying.
Ethics, Service & Leadership
Character Pledge
Character development is central to all we do.
Our ability to advance this goal is dependent on the willingness of individual community members to agree to and embrace the principles of good character outlined in our Character Pledge. This Pledge serves as an overarching standard for daily ethical conduct and includes three parts: an Honor Code, a Civility Code, and our Core Values. Each year all Landon students, teachers, and staff are asked to read and sign a document pledging themselves to these principles.
Honor Code
I will not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate others doing so.
Civility Code
I will regard and treat all people – whether in word or deed – with respect and dignity. I will treat my relationships, school, surroundings, and myself similarly. I will not tolerate behaviors by others that run counter to the principles of respectful behavior and decency.
Core Values
Respect – Honesty – Teamwork – Responsibility – Perseverance – Kindness – Inclusivity – Courage – Gratitude – Humility – Service
The Middle School Ethics, Service, and Leadership program provides boys with a foundation for exploring what it means to be an ethical person who grounds his decisions and attitudes in our Mission, Philosophy and Core Values. Boys use critical thinking skills to examine ethical theories and build vocabulary that informs decision making, such as the difference between an ethical dilemma and a moral temptation, and the approach needed for each.
Grade 8 Purpose Summit
Students find purpose in a capstone project.
Grade 8 students reflect on past experiences to prepare to write their capstone “This I Believe” speeches to the entire Middle School. Watch how the Form II Purpose Summit helps them learn not only about themselves but also their place in the world.
Ethics
After intentional work around identity and belonging, Grade 8 students write and present “This I Believe" speeches. They share their ideas with peers, and learn the value of being vulnerable, speaking in public, and writing persuasively.
Advisory
Boys express their thoughts, views, and emotions with peers and a trusted faculty advisor in small-group advisory sessions, where boys discuss ethical dilemmas, evaluate lessons learned, and bond with classmates.
Leadership
On the Student Council, the Honor Council, and in our Admissions Student Ambassador program, boys are chosen by their peers and faculty members to lead the Middle School and represent Landon.
Service
Students feel empowered to address community needs through hands-on experience by participating in service activities with organizations such as A Wider Circle, Iona Senior Services, and Special Olympics.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Respect is a core value of a Landon School education. And respecting others means respecting and celebrating their different journeys, backgrounds, and identities. Landon is committed to promoting supportive and welcoming traits like inclusivity and appreciating diversity and how it enriches the tapestry of the community. We seek to develop in our students the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to value differences, encouraging both speaking and acting with integrity and compassion and developing an informed and respectful worldview.
This work is supported by round table discussions, school assemblies, and events based on cultural celebrations.
They include Lunar New Year, and schoolwide events to honor Black History Month, Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month. Students are at the center of this work, as they share their own stories and become presenters at these events.
Afterschool Programs
Landon offers an AfterCare program from 3:30-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays when school is in session that includes study hall, snack break, and recess time.
The Landon Enrichment and Afterschool Program (LEAP) expands the learning experience beyond the school day in creative, dynamic, and fun ways while supporting Landon’s core values. Classes are offered in six to eight-week sessions throughout the year, and they include topics such as fishing, robotics, and chess. Each class meets for 60 or 90 minutes after school, until about 5-5:45 p.m. There is an additional charge for this program.
Teachers also offer free clubs after school that include the Strategic Games Club, Math Club, and the Multicultural Student Alliance.
FAQ
- Who leads the Middle School?
- What will the school day be like?
- What classes are there each day?
- Does my son get a computer at school?
- What if he needs extra help with schoolwork?
- How will my son make new friends?
- What opportunities are there to collaborate with girls schools?
- Are there field trips?
- Where will he sit for lunch?
- What sports can he play?
- Does he play sports every season?
- Can he do both sports and art?
- Is community service required?
- Are there extracurricular clubs?
- Are there fun events?
- Who will he talk to when he has questions?
Who leads the Middle School?
What will the school day be like?
What classes are there each day?
Does my son get a computer at school?
What if he needs extra help with schoolwork?
How will my son make new friends?
What opportunities are there to collaborate with girls schools?
Are there field trips?
Where will he sit for lunch?
What sports can he play?
Does he play sports every season?
Can he do both sports and art?
Is community service required?
Are there extracurricular clubs?
Are there fun events?
Who will he talk to when he has questions?
News & Calendar
A new project in the Middle School encourages self-reflection, personal growth, and mutual respect. Find out how students used Ethics and Community time to reflect on and embrace their core values and character.
Grade 7 science students look to crack the code and construct an effective egg protection device. Will their designs withstand the egg drop?
A writing challenge expands world geography knowledge for Grade 7 students and fosters a spirit of collaboration and mentorship. Find out how Grade 3 boys helped their fellow Bears reach a final draft.
Design, creativity, and problem-solving skills went into overdrive with the latest Middle School STEM challenge. Find out how students are strengthening their resolve and their eye for engineering.