Middle School

Jess Dang
Head of Middle School

At Crystal, we encourage Middle Schoolers to be truly themselves
By giving them a space of their very own, we encourage Middle Schoolers to be themselves. We understand that in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, the best learning happens when students’ social and emotional needs are being met.

Our teachers open doors to a whole new world
The Middle School team develops curriculum and experiences designed for a middle school student, allowing them to forge a deeper understanding of subject content and greater engagement with their peers and teachers. From an egg drop and Rube Goldberg Machine Contest to learning about inertia and energy transfer, our approach to learning enhances our students’ natural curiosity.

Skills and Content
The team of Middle School teachers works to develop both subject-specific content knowledge while also teaching fundamental study and organization skills. The Middle School program encourages students to explore all the academic disciplines. In this way, the scientist discovers a passion for French and the historian masters the quadratic formula. After three years in the middle school, our students are fully prepared for the challenges of high school.

And rather than Or
At Crystal, the middle school schedule allows students to be scholars, athletes and artists. We not only encourage students to delve into all three realms, we require them to do so through the fine arts rotation program and the athletics/PE period which is built into the school day. Our students discover that they are capable of learning and achieving more than they ever imagined. They discover they can be a star on the stage and a star athlete as well.

Teaching with technology rather than about technology
With a 1:1 iPad program and mobile laptop carts, our students have access to powerful learning tools. Our faculty work with the Technology Integrator to use these devices as a platform for innovation in each discipline.