Middle School

Four Maclay Seniors were named as National Merit Semifinalists this year. Annette Lu, Victor Oguledo, Michael Sweeney and Ella McConnell, were among 16,000 students from across the country recognized as the highest scorers in the nation representing less than one percent of each state’s high school seniors. The Honor Code Signing has been a long-standing tradition at Maclay. Freshmen, new students, and new Upper School faculty take part in a ceremony including signing the Book of Honor, which is housed in the Langford Library. This year’s event was moved to the grassy lawn between the Upper School and Library but continued to portray the significance and symbolism of the Maclay Honor Code. Rep. Dean Cannon was the guest speaker and students from each division provided music. Since the event was live-streamed, classes from kindergarten to 8th grade were able to view the ceremony.

Career Day was virtual this year but still offered an opportunity for our Upper School students to hear from a wide array of professionals. Nearly 20 guest speakers, including several alumni, hosted Zoom rooms for students where they gave an overview of their professional journey and finished with a Q&A. The Homecoming activities were slightly different this year, but campus was still spirited with the dress-up days and break time contests. The week ended with an indoor presentation of the Homecoming Court and the crowning of the 2020 Homecoming King and Queen Cade Smith and Caroline

We may be wearing masks every day, but we couldn’t let Halloween go by without having some fun. The Upper School teachers decked out as their favorite Harry Potter character and created some serious magic in the quad!

Thanks to the newly launched Parent-in-Residence program, a Legal Issues course was offered this year. Attorney Elizabeth Ricci is the instructor and has brought a wealth of speakers in including a first-year law student, a clinical psychologist, a social issues reporter, local and out-of-state judges, and attorneys whose practices include elections law and military law. Florida’s State Attorney Jack Campbell was one guest who spoke to students about the controversial Stand Your Ground law, the castle doctrine, and affirmative defenses. The students also participated in a Scholar Exchange program with the National Constitution Center and have six more sessions scheduled next semester. The class is a great way to learn about current events in law and legal issues directly from experts.

Maclay students in the Creative Writing and Literary Publications class held a release party for the newest addition of literary journal Notes from the Underground (NFTU) - a student-run publication of poetry, short stories, essays, and art. The class taught by Dr. Craig Beaven has gained a national reputation over the last several years and is for students who are passionate about literature and the arts and committed to bringing the incredible work of their peers to a wide audience. Notes for the Underground is the main project for class members who serve as contributors and editors, but other students are encouraged to submit their work or apply for editorial positions. On Friday, December 4, the class unveiled this year’s edition of Notes from the Underground at a launch party, which was attended by several Maclay alumni editors, fellow classmates, teachers, and even Rowdy the ‘Rauder. New this year was a short awards presentation for best in poetry, fiction, art, and essay. The NFTU class also announced the launch of the new student-created website for the on-line journal www.thenftu.com which will elevate the publication to a national-level and begin accepting works submitted by high school students from across the country.