Middle School Humanities is a core academic course integrating literature, history, expository and creative writing, current events, geography, religion, philosophy, and art. Students develop critical thinking skills by making conceptual connections within a wide range of subject matter, which in turn aids students in forming a tolerant, enthusiastic approach to the range of cultures in our world. A weekly schedule of five double-periods and additional "flex" periods allows students more than twice as long in one room with one teacher, thus acting as a bridge from lower to upper school and establishing a comfortable “home base” within the middle school community. This block schedule also provides maximum flexibility for experiential and project-based learning as well as the opportunity to focus on developing strong writing skills.