In a 4K-8 school, middle schoolers can be leaders and are still allowed to be children. Middle school students partner with 4K-1st grade buddies for special projects, field trips, and service activities. It is wonderful to see a middle school student help a young learner master an academic concept, tie a shoe, or volunteer side-by-side. Being in a school with smaller children allows middle school students to express the virtues of compassion and joyfulness that might be viewed with criticism and intolerance in a strictly middle school setting. Where else would you find a middle school student accepting hugs from a child running across a gym at 7:40 in the morning?
