Middle school age is a very special, critical period for a young adult. The change from childhood to adolescence is a tremendously important time of life. Children must endure more changes from age 10 to 15, than they will for the rest of their lives. They are changing in every way possible- how they feel, act, interact, eat, dress, talk, and grow. These changes are difficult for parents to understand and even more difficult for the changing child to understand. They are becoming self conscious, independent, and more aware of their surrounding world. Students at the middle school age are no longer needing to belong in grade school, yet still are not ready for high school. Today's adolescent needs understanding, support, and a place especially designed for them. The right kind of school for these students needs to be special, different, and serve as support system. Middle school is their "bridge" to high school. It should be a place to feel good about!

IDUs (Interdisciplinary Units) as a model of teaching. IDUs draw together from all areas of discipline: math, science, social studies, communications.

A lesson can be applied to many areas of education, not just one. This way, a student gains more out of their learning experience.

*For example, if a science teacher does a unit on velocity and uses roller coasters as a main example to explain what velocity is:

math (calculations),
social studies (who discovered roller coasters, when),
and communications (write about your discovery) can all be applied as a part of the unit.

Teachers use a wide variety of resources in order to engage their students in the learning process. The student experience is learner-centered, hands-on, interactive, project oriented, and relevant to real-life and real world experiences.

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