Growing Up in the Middle

No longer children, not yet adults.

What a wonderful time of life, characterized by an unparalleled energy level and a motivation for learning in grades 6-8!  With these thoughts in mind, we welcome you to explore the Middle School at Barrie. You will find it to be a safe, warm, and inviting environment focused on providing a rich, challenging, and supportive learning experience for middle school-aged adolescents.

At the Core is Project-based Learning

At Barrie, we use a project-based learning approach in our curriculum for grades 6-8, which makes learning come alive for our students. Our teachers and students will attest that learning this way is much more engaging and fun. In each grade level, students work on a project over an extended period of time – from a week up to a semester – that engages them in solving a real-world problem or answering a complex question. This dynamic learning environment enables students to develop a deep understanding of core content and use that knowledge to solve problems, think critically, communicate effectively, and be self-reflective about their learning.

2024-25 Course Catalog

Barrie students complete a number of projects during their time in middle school. Examples include:

• In grade 6, students study the causes and effects of the dust bowl and create a giant classroom map that overlays the various factors.
• In grade 7 humanities, students complete an E is for Egypt project for which they choose a topic about ancient Egypt and create a children’s book about it while learning in-depth about illustration from a trained professional.
  See Example
• In Pre-Algebra or Math 7, students participate in the Can Derby where they learn in-depth about slope, slope-intercept form, and the standard form by constructing ramps and determining how fast and how far a can travels.
• Grade 8 is the culmination of a student’s middle school experience and contains a number of meaningful projects, some of which have become rites of passage. Whether it’s racing cardboard boats in a swimming pool to learn about buoyancy, friction, and velocity, or traveling in the footsteps of the Freedom Riders, or performing their own slam poems in front of the entire school community, students finish out their middle school years putting what they have learned into practice.