Middle School Intensive Learning Spotlight: Grade 7

Seventh grade students enjoyed a week of art, adventure, and service during Intensive Learning at the end of March.

Highlighting the “Art and Environment” unit was an overnight educational experience in Washington D.C. The group visited the National Museum of African American History & Culture to explore the perseverance, resilience, ingenuity, and achievements of African American people from the 1600s through today. They also enjoyed a walking tour of the Logan Circle neighborhood before concluding with a trip to the Smithsonian National Zoo.. 

The week began for all Middle School students with a Day of Service, with seventh grade traveling to Palmyra Cove Nature Park, alongside the Delaware River, where the group conducted a beach clean-up to help restore the beach to its natural beauty. While there, the group also participated in a hunt of invasive species, cutting the vines wrapped around native trees, along with other maintenance and beautification tasks. 

The week also included a trip to Brandywine Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, PA where the group enjoyed a guided tour of the museum exploring highlight pieces including the Wyeth Collection. The unit wrapped with a visit to All Fired Up in Collingswood where students crafted their own ceramic keepsakes. 

This is one in a series of 2024 Intensive Learning Spotlights. For one week each March, regular classes are suspended for “Intensive Learning,” when Middle and Upper School students and teachers engage in an in-depth study of a specific subject, often involving off-campus research. This long-standing MFS tradition — which dates back to the mid 1970s — allows teachers and students to break out of the structure of formal class periods and traditional study for a time of experiential learning. Both students and teachers are encouraged to view themselves as life-long learners and students of the world around them.