St. John’s Middle School program includes grades 6-8. The educational program is specifically designed to meet the unique needs of early adolescent learners. It is a comprehensive program that addresses the spiritual, physical, social, emotional and intellectual needs of the student. Middle school provides a bridge between elementary and high school; the primary goal is to establish a curriculum and learning environment which maintains a balance between the continued development of learning skills, the acquisition and application of knowledge, and the spiritual and personal development of the student.
In addition to exceptional academic and Christian education, the middle school classes have these activities to look forward to…just to name a few!
“America and Me” ~ The America & Me Essay Contest was founded by Farm Bureau Insurance in 1968 to encourage Michigan youth to explore their roles in America's future. Since that time, nearly a half-million Michigan eighth graders have participated in the contest. The 2010-2011 top ten winners competed against over 5,000 other students from over 500 Michigan junior highs and middle schools to win their top positions. The top ten winners from this contest will receive their plaques, medallions, U.S. savings bonds valued from $250 to $500, and cash prizes of $250 to $500, at an awards banquet in Lansing. The winners from St. John are honored by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns during the 8th grade Washington D.C. trip.
Eaglevision Technicians ~ Eaglevision is St. John’s in-house cable system by which our daily announcement broadcast is viewed by our entire student body. Middle school students have the opportunity to learn production techniques, how to work projectors, surround sound, and so forth. In 2010, our production studio was enhanced by the addition of a teleprompter and a "green screen" used for weather reporting.
In addition to Eaglevision, students also have the opportunity to utilize our extensive A/V equipment and produce Stop Motion animation projects, as well as a wide variety of audio and video production projects.
“Future City” ~ Students can take part in the National Engineers Week Future City Competition. The mission is to provide a fun and exciting educational engineering program for seventh and eighth grade students that combines a stimulating engineering challenge with a "hands-on" application to present their vision of a city of the future. St. John has a proud tradition of competing in Future City, having earned Third Place at the 2006 National competition, “Best Essay” at the 2005 National competition, and Second Place at the 2002 National competition. In 2008 they took 2nd place in the State, in 2009 they took 1st in State and Runner-up at Nationals as well as "Best Essay" and "People Choice", and in 2010 they took 2nd in the State competition as well as "Peoples Choice". 2011 was yet another notable year, as the St. John team won the State competition and went on to finish 4th at Nationals. For more information about the Future City program itself, visit their website at www.futurecity.org.
Geography Bee ~ Each year thousands of schools in the United States (including St. John) participate in the National Geographic Bee using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. The contest is designed to encourage teachers to include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest in the subject, and increase public awareness about geography. Since the first National Geography Bee in 1989, millions of students have competed each year for a U.S. $25,000 college scholarship and the honor of being national champion. Schools with students in grades four through eight are eligible for this entertaining and challenging test of geographic knowledge.
Honor Roll ~ To recognize outstanding academic achievement among middle school students, the honor roll will be published after first, second, and third quarters. The honor roll recognizes students having an average of B+ (at least 88.0%) or higher based on grades earned in religion, memory, English, math, science, literature, social studies/history, physical education, and art. To be on the high honor roll, a student must have an A average (at least 92.0%) or higher. Any grades of C- or lower (71.99% or lower) or three incomplete assignments for the quarter will disqualify a student from the honor roll. To be recognized as a scholar athlete, the student athlete must meet all honor roll criteria and have an A- average (at least 90.0%)
Michigan Math League Contest ~ Students in each league compete for the highest scores, while schools compete for the highest team score - the total of the top 5 scores in each school. Each contest's questions cover material appropriate to each grade level. Questions may cover basic topics, plus exponents, fractions, reciprocals, decimals, rates, ratios, percents, angle measurement, perimeter, area, circumference, basic roots, patterns, sequences, integers, triangles and right triangles, and other topics, depending on the grade level. These contests encourage a variety of problem-solving skills and methods, to improve students' abilities and understanding of mathematical connections, while having fun!
Middle School Musical ~ Each year, the middle school produces and performs a musical performance for the community. All middle school students have the opportunity to try out for a variety of roles, including acting, chorus, or production responsibilities. Musical productions previously performed at St. John include “Tom Sawyer”, “Lumberjacks and Wedding Belles”, “Krazy Kamp”, “Inspector Incognito”, “Music Man Jr.”, “Kokonut Kapers”, and “Tied to the Tracks.”
National Junior Honor Society ~ NJHS ranks as one of the oldest and most prestigious national organizations for middle school students. Chapters exist in more than 60% of the nation’s middle schools and, since 1929, millions of students have been selected for membership. NJHS is sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, which also sponsors the National Honor Society. To qualify, students must meet a minimum grade requirement in each subject, as well as document their leadership, character, citizenship, leadership, and service traits. A faculty committee reviews all submissions and votes to extend invitations to NJHS.
Spelling Bee ~ Beginning in fifth grade, spelling champions for each grade are selected to compete for the divisional school championships. The school champion has the opportunity to challenge other exceptional spellers in the district, with the possibility of going on to the metropolitan and national competition. Historically, St. John students have done extremely well in district competition.