Greenwich Academy Middle School Viewbook 2017

MS

GREENWICH ACADEMY > MIDDLE SCHOOL

“Greenwich Academy gives us confidence.

I like going to school with girls who have a drive to accomplish things.” > SHÉLAH, GROUP VIII

At Greenwich Academy, we encourage girls to explore every facet of their potential.

In doing so, GA girls discover themselves to be critical thinkers, problem solvers, articulate communicators, and compassionate citizens. They cultivate meaningful friendships, see their futures as boundless, and are inspired to make a positive impact in the world.

GREENWICH ACADEMY > MIDDLE SCHOOL

We Celebrate Middle School Girls

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School Motto TOWARD THE BUILDING OF CHARACTER Middle School is all about forging identity. We treasure these years for being both complex and remarkable. Our students understand that true success is achieved through the pursuit and ownership of exceptional character. Thus, GA girls embrace what is unique about themselves, recognize the gifts of others, and contribute to a community that embodies excellence.

“At GA, girls say, ‘Thank you,’ to teachers as they leave class—not because they are required to, but because they feel deep gratitude for the discovery and growth they experience every day. As faculty we are grateful that GA girls inspire us with their integrity, compassion, creativity, and resilience.” > MOLLY KING, HEAD OF SCHOOL 2

GREENWICH ACADEMY > MIDDLE SCHOOL

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Finding Strength in COMMUNITY

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GA girls form lasting bonds with each other and with their teachers. They feel recognized individually, and they love being surrounded by other kind, motivated girls. As a result, the girls are comfortable asking questions.

They are confident expressing opinions.

They are bold in suggesting solutions.

“My favorite part of GA is connecting with people and the true friendships we have.” > REBECCA, GROUP VII

“GA is a welcoming community where everyone opens up and everyone has a voice.”

– EVA, GROUP VII

Middle School sees the beginning of advisory groups, in which students meet at the beginning of the day and for several class periods every week to bond and explore topics relating to personal and social development.

As faculty who know each student deeply, advisors serve as the point person for communication with parents.

“It feels like a collaboration when a teacher gives you feedback, because you know your work is going to improve.”

– SACHI, GROUP VII

GREENWICH ACADEMY > MIDDLE SCHOOL

c Advisory Groups

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Thinking CRITICALLY & Communicating CLEARLY Our girls are creators and communicators, and we nurture their love of reading, critical thinking, writing, and public speaking. In English classes, girls construct persuasive arguments through analytical essay writing. They act out Shakespeare plays, participate in mock trials to explore motivations of fictional characters, and create a culminating personal vignette project in Group VIII that they present to the Middle School. In history, students research, analyze, and interpret primary and secondary sources to draw their own conclusions about how the past relates to their current and future world. In Group VI, inspired by Malala Yousafzai’s famous address, girls prepare and deliver speeches as though they too are presenting to the United Nations.

The girls divide into Greek city-states to stage their own Olympics, build a Wetu when they study indigenous peoples, and visit the famous Apollo Theater during their Harlem Renaissance unit.

“GA girls are authentic, well-versed, and interested in the world.” > PAUL JAQUIERY, HISTORY TEACHER

c Exploring our Nation’s Capital Group VIII girls travel to Washington, D.C., in a trip designed to help the girls envision themselves as active citizens who engage with government. In addition to exploring museums and landmarks, students have met with Connecticut’s senators and Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Sonia Sotomayor.

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GREENWICH ACADEMY > MIDDLE SCHOOL

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Mastering STEM Content

“The confidence GA girls build in STEM subjects now is what expands their options in the future.” > KARIN CARNEGIE, SCIENCE AND MATH TEACHER, ALUMNA ’09 8

Middle school is often when girls either become inspired by—or disengage with—subjects relating to science, technology, engineering, and math. At GA, girls conduct all the science labs, write all the code, run all the power tools, and solve all the math problems. Every grade brings new opportunities with our dedicated computer science teacher and in our full-scale, state-of-the-art Engineering and Design Lab.

“At GA, no one is afraid to speak up in class. We show that girls can do anything.” > ANNABEL, GROUP VIII

c Beyond the Classroom c Seeing Possibilities Greenwich Academy has established its own conference—Girls Advancing in STEM, or GAINS, to bring together high school girls from around the nation with women who are succeeding in these fields.

GAINS Jr. brings activities and speakers to campus to broaden the horizons of Middle School students.

Each June, rising Group VIII girls have the opportunity to connect what they have learned about geology and ecosystems to the unique environments of Yellowstone and Grand Tetons national parks.

c Invention Convention Have you ever needed an alarm clock that will kick you out of bed? Group V girls conduct an in-depth R&D process to create original inventions that solve daily problems. Along the way they study female inventors who inspire them. They then present their prototypes and research to the school community.

GREENWICH ACADEMY > MIDDLE SCHOOL

c Scientific Adventures

Students have lots of opportunities to engage in STEM subjects extracurricularly. In addition to a Tinkerers Club, the Middle School has math, robotics, and chess teams.

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Developing GLOBAL AWARENESS GA is unique in integrating six major academic subjects into our Middle School day. All Middle School students study four years of a world language, choosing from Spanish, French, and Mandarin. As part of this curriculum they converse with native speakers and explore corresponding cultural traditions. Groups VI–VIII also study Latin. In addition to supporting world language acquisition, this expands vocabulary and reinforces grammar to help our students excel as writers on any subject.

Current events classes are a favorite with GA girls, occurring weekly in Groups VII–VIII. Here, conversations provide information to understand the latest headlines from around the world.

Girls learn how to evaluate media bias, disagree respectfully, and recognize that situations are layered and complex.

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> TRACY KAUFFMAN-AGRO, CURRENT EVENTS TEACHER, ALUMNA ’75

GREENWICH ACADEMY > MIDDLE SCHOOL

“Knowledge makes people feel confident. If you know basic background about the world, then conversations open up— and opportunities, too.”

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Celebrating the ARTS

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The arts at GA provide opportunities for girls to chart their own paths and explore their creativity. During Groups V and VI, girls take year-long classes that lay foundations in drama, music, studio arts, and dance. In Group VII, girls focus on one discipline at a time, allowing for more concentrated explorations. In Group VIII girls choose from electives across all disciplines, some of which are based in the Engineering and Design Lab. Girls can also join the Middle School Dance Company and the Middle School Chamber Orchestra, and participate in plays or musicals throughout their Middle School years.

Groups VII and VIII collaborate with students from GA’s brother school, Brunswick, for co-ed musical productions.

> ERIN RILEY, DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN LAB, ART TEACHER

GREENWICH ACADEMY > MIDDLE SCHOOL

“I fell in love with the eager learning that takes place on this campus, the small classes, and the feeling that you can really dig deep with teaching.

This is clearly an environment that values the arts.”

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Building Strong BODIES, HEARTS, and MINDS

“GA girls value the success and pride that comes from consistently stretching themselves on the field.” > MARTHA BROUSSEAU, ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Middle School girls like the challenges that come with acquiring strength, building skills, and practicing sportsmanship. With the support of devoted coaches, GA girls learn the life lessons of accepting defeat with dignity, winning with grace, and demonstrating resilience, courage, and empathy. In Groups V and VI, PE classes expose students to the many sports that will be open to them later in our interscholastic programs.

By Groups VII and VIII, girls are excited to compete with teams from other schools.

Our health curriculum is organized wholly around girls’ needs: teaching them to advocate for themselves, form healthy habits and relationships, and make good decisions.

c Interscholastic Sports for Groups VII & VIII FALL Cross Country Field Hockey Soccer Volleyball

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WINTER Basketball Dance Ice Hockey Squash Swimming

SPRING Crew Dance Lacrosse Softball Tennis

GREENWICH ACADEMY > MIDDLE SCHOOL

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Embracing LEADERSHIP

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Opportunities for leadership abound at GA. Middle School girls join Upper School students in annual Community Service Days, volunteer at a nearby after-school program to help younger students with homework and art projects, and raise awareness for causes that are important to them. Each year brings new student privileges and responsibilities, with Group VIII girls, serving as mentors to welcome Group V girls to the Middle School.

“GA girls have curiosity and drive to do well. Our faculty make sure that each girl feels known, supported, and challenged. This creates a safe space for girls to express themselves, take risks, and seek out answers on their own.” > BECKY WALKER, HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

“At GA you understand that sometimes you should take the lead yourself, and sometimes being a leader means following someone else.” > SOPHIE, GROUP VIII

GREENWICH ACADEMY > MIDDLE SCHOOL 17

REFLECTING on Middle School and…

“GA opens up lots of opportunities to challenge ourselves. I like math and science and that our design lab has the tools to invent things people can use in their everyday lives. My advisory group is a great place to hear other people’s ideas. I also love swimming, volleyball, and lacrosse.

Girls should come to GA because we have a great community.” > CLAIRE, GROUP VIII 18

“I respect the Upper School girls for stepping up to their opportunities, and I look forward to taking on more responsibility like they do.” > JESSIE, GROUP VII

“I love all my classes at GA because the teachers make the subjects exciting. GA girls have a foundation together, so everyone feels comfortable sharing opinions, even when we share most of our Upper School classes with boys from Brunswick School. Everyone is passionate about what they do here. GA is a place where people inspire each other to be their best. Coming here is the best decision I’ve made.” > ELIZA, GROUP IX

GREENWICH ACADEMY > MIDDLE SCHOOL

…LOOKING AHEAD to Upper School

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“GA provides you with every opportunity. This year I’ve taken a research course through GA’s partnership with the University of Pennsylvania.

We designed our own social science study, with six months of interviewing, surveying, and focus groups.

I also play sports here, am in musicals, and next year I’ll be the editor of our literary magazine, Daedalus.

“Coming to GA changes you as a person, because this community is unafraid to be passionate and we support each other. I’ve discovered that I have so much more fun when I’m taking risks—when I’m asking the questions in math class or writing the essay that only I can write.

“As an Upper School student, I make sure to reach out to Middle Schoolers because I’m so grateful for having the GA experience that I want to continue that legacy.” > GRACE, GROUP XI 20

Design > Good Design, LLC / Photography > Don Hamerman

Transportation

/ Copywriting > Cheryl Bardoe

GA is located in central Greenwich, approximately 25 miles from New York City and 47 miles from New Haven, CT. GA offers bus transportation for students who commute from the lower Darien and Stamford area or who use the Stamford and Greenwich train stations. In addition, the Town of Greenwich also provides bus service to all students who live in Greenwich, as do other towns from which our students travel. Our transportation coordinator is available to help families explore the options from their area.

Financial Aid

/ Printing > Allied Printing

GA is an inclusive community, dedicated to providing a wellfunded financial aid program.

Students receive support based on need as defined by a clearly articulated set of reporting requirements, subscribed to by all leading independent schools.

www.greenwichacademy.org

“The warmth of our Greenwich Academy community allows girls to explore their infinite capacity to question, discover, dream, create, and grow. Come see Greenwich Academy for yourself! The entire Admission team looks forward to getting to know you.” > NINA HANLON, DIRECTOR OF ENROLLMENT AND FINANCIAL AID

200 North Maple Avenue > Greenwich, CT 06830 > 203.625.8990