Highlights of Exemplary Practices Aligned with the 18 Characteristics of Successful Middle Schools

Highlights of Exemplary Practices Aligned with the 18 Characteristics of Successful Middle Schools

Essential Attribute: An Education for Young Adolescents Should Be Equitable

Schoenbar Middle School fosters a vibrant, inclusive environment that demonstrates respect and value for young adolescents. We uphold three core values: 1) equitable access to opportunity, 2) building strong relationships, and 3) promoting student voice and agency. These values are embedded in school structures and practices, ensuring equity, strengthening relationships, and fostering student agency to create a welcoming atmosphere.

The stand-alone Academic Workshop (AW) and Extended Learning (EXL) classes ensure equitable access to academic support, interventions, extensions, and enriching activities. Unlike previous schedules that pulled students from enrichment for interventions, the current schedule allows “push-in” rather than “pull-out” support for more students with special needs. Additionally, Academic Workshop enables students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) to receive support during AW time without sacrificing elective classes.

Characteristic #18: Organizational Structures Foster Purposeful Learning and Meaningful Relationships

Team structures at Schoenbar Middle School support both adult and student relationships. Daily small-group advisory classes build connections among students and with a trusted adult while providing opportunities for social-emotional learning (SEL) lessons. Daily team meetings foster adult collaboration, enabling staff to address student needs collectively.

Open communication with families and the community occurs through newsletters, the school website, and social media. We respond to feedback by adapting structures and practices based on parent survey insights. To strengthen family-school partnerships, we host engaging community events such as ice cream socials, potlucks, and “Meet Me in the Middle” gatherings.

We value collaborative partnerships, involving parents in key processes like the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), English Language Learner (ELL) support, 504 plans, and IEPs, ensuring a student-centered approach.

Characteristic #11: Instruction Fosters Learning That Is Active, Purposeful, and Democratic

Students select Extended Learning (EXL) enrichment classes quarterly based on personal interests, with offerings determined by student surveys and staff expertise. These classes, held at the end of the day, encourage full-day attendance and conclude each day positively. Students also indicate preferences and needs for daily Academic Workshop support. Student voice shapes classroom and team expectations, routines, procedures, and EXL class ideas, with these shared understandings displayed throughout the school. Several EXL classes, such as the Dance Committee and Marine Biology, have become student-led, with teachers serving as facilitators.

Teachers have autonomy to employ instructional strategies that align with their strengths and student needs while meeting local and state standards. Interdisciplinary projects encourage students to apply learning across various contexts, fostering active and purposeful engagement.

Characteristic #1: Educators Respect and Value Young Adolescents

Schoenbar Middle School’s commitment to respecting and valuing young adolescents is evident in its proactive efforts to create a supportive, engaging, and inclusive learning environment. Teachers work individually, in teams, and as a school community to advance learning and uphold high standards across all settings.

Teachers provide differentiated instruction to meet students at their academic level, with a focus on supporting students within the general education setting, including those with IEPs, 504 plans, or ELL accommodations. Rather than lowering expectations, teachers raise the level of support to ensure student success.

The school celebrates its diverse community through activities and experiences, including a daily land acknowledgment honoring the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian tribes, public artwork depicting historic Native leaders, and cross-curricular community projects like the Pathfinder Pole displayed prominently at the school’s entrance. The teaching staff’s diversity has grown with the addition of three Filipino educators, enriching cultural connections with Filipino students and families. An annual cultural exchange with our sister city, Kanayama, Japan, further celebrates diversity.

Teachers implement “thinking classroom” strategies and fresh activities to prepare students for a dynamic global context, emphasizing critical and creative thinking. Quarterly school-wide events, such as pep assemblies, concerts, sporting events, and dances, foster social engagement and a sense of belonging. The Extended Learning period provides opportunities for student voice, choice, and leadership roles.

The annual camping and survival trip, a tradition spanning over 50 years, empowers students to make decisions, evaluate conditions, and collaborate while establishing a camp, gathering food, and building shelters. This place-based learning experience, a cherished “rite of passage” in our community, builds excitement and strengthens generational ties.