Dear Middle School Families,

Anyone crossing the Clark Campus Green this week undoubtedly heard a chorus of “It’s so cold,” but our Middle School students spread warmth far and wide. On Wednesday, students gathered for another community service pop-up, where they wrote encouraging messages on candy packs that will be shared with local shelters. It was truly heartwarming to see so many students show up before homeroom to spread a little cheer to others.

After reviewing and revising their academic goals, students continued to do their best in their classes. Next week, students will review their interim comments from each class and have a chance to evaluate how well they are doing on fulfilling those goals. Interim comments will be released on Wednesday, Jan. 29; I will send an email with instructions for how to access them on that day.

This week, we continued honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. during a combined Upper and Middle School Chapel led by Executive Director of the Office of DEI Erica Snowden. Then, on Thursday, members of the Middle School Chapel Council shared highlights from the lives of adults who they believe exemplify Courage, the January Stripe of the Month. They shared the accomplishments of NBA star Kevin Love, Olympic swimmer Summer McIntosh, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, and Los Angeles firefighters currently battling wildfires, among others. Rev. P reminded us that even these individuals were not instantly successful, but rather stumbled at times and yet persevered to accomplish great feats.

On the athletic front, it was quite a competitive week. Boys' basketball found themselves in two tough battles against Haverford and Malvern; our A team secured two victories and our B team avenged an early season loss against Malvern. Their full court press was stifling! The girls' A basketball team continues to roll while our B team picked up their first win of the season against Baldwin. A late game surge helped them pull away to secure the victory. Our C team girls had a nail biter against the Montgomery School and won by one; that makes it two in a row for them! Our boys and girls' squash teams found success against Penn Charter this week, followed by a tough matchup against Haverford for the boys. This was great competition as they set their sights on MS Nationals coming up next weekend, where all four MS Squash teams are slated to compete. Boys' swimming & diving concluded their regular season against Haverford this week, and both teams now turn their sights to the IAAL Champs meets next week. Wrestling was on hiatus this week, but they were busy preparing for a bout SCH next week before their Champs meet in February. The real heroes of the winter have been our winter track team and pickleballers; not only have they braved the elements but have also gotten very creative with workouts to keep things moving. Here’s to warmer days ahead!

Take note of the following upcoming events:

• Next Friday, Jan. 31, the EAPA Winter Fest will be held in the Dixon Athletic Center. In addition to our boys' basketball teams taking on Penn Charter and our wrestlers taking on Haverford, there will be plenty of food and fun for all ages. 
   
• Wednesday, Jan. 29, will be a banner day with both a host of celebrations for Lunar New Year (students may wear red for our Lunar New Year Dress Down Day) and STEM Speaker Gitanjali Rao addressing Middle School students. Students will also review their interim comments during advisory, with interim comments to be released at 4 p.m.
   
• On Friday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m., we are excited for our annual MS/US Dance Concert in the Carrafiell Family Theater. Tickets go on sale this Monday, Jan. 27.
   
• If you have not already, register to attend SpeakUp! on campus on Wednesday, Feb. 19, from 6-8 p.m. This is a chance to hear the issues that are top-of-mind for our Middle (and Upper) School students.
   
• Parents of 8th grade students: Save the date for the 8th Grade "Evening with the Emperors" event, which will be held on Thursday, Feb. 27, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the O'Neill Competition Gym. Students are excited to continue their yearlong journey to save an emperor from the fiery pit of the Underworld! The teams are creating some spectacular examples of ancient Roman coins and monuments to serve as propaganda for their emperors. There will also be examples of excavated Roman coins for everyone to look at and prizes for the best coin, the best monument, and the best overall presentation. 

Have a wonderful weekend, and Go Birds!
Laurie

_______

Stripe of the Month:

The Stripe of the Month for January is Courage.
 

Calendar Events:

Jan. 29: MS Dress Down Day: Lunar New Year (Wear Red)
Jan. 29: STEM Speaker: Gitanjali Rao
Jan. 31: Re-enrollment Contracts Due for 2025-26 School Year
Jan. 31: EAPA Winter Fest, 4-7:30 p.m., Dixon Athletic Center
Jan. 31: MS Dress Down Day
Feb. 1: Black History Month Begins
Feb. 7: MS/US Dance Concert, 7-9 p.m., Carrafiell Family Theater (Snow date: Saturday, Feb. 8, 2 p.m.) tickets on sale Jan. 27
Feb. 13: MS Dress Down Day: Valentine's Day
Feb. 13: MS/US Winter Sports End
Feb. 14-17: Presidents Day Weekend (School Closed)
Feb. 18: MS Parent Coffee, 8:15 a.m., Tierney Dining Hall
Feb. 18: MS Special Dress
Feb. 18: MS Athletics Award Assembly
Feb. 19: MS Student Talent Show
Feb. 19: MS/US SpeakUp! Event, 6 p.m.
Feb. 20: EA Giving Day
Feb. 20: MS/US Delayed Opening, 9 a.m.
Feb. 21: LS/MS 2nd Trimester Ends; MS Students Dismiss at 2:45 p.m.
Feb. 21: Due Date for David Baldwin Creative Writing Contest
Feb. 24: LS/MS 3rd Trimester Begins; MS Spring Sports Begin
Feb. 25: 8th Grade Parents' Meeting (Webinar): Transition to Upper School, 7 p.m.
Feb. 27: 8th Grade Evening with the Emperors, 7 p.m.
Feb. 28: MS Closed; MS Parent/Teacher Conferences, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
March 1: Ramadan Begins; Women's History Month Begins
March 5: Ash Wednesday
March 8: EAPA Starfest Auction, 7-10 p.m., Ardmore Music Hall tickets on sale Feb. 3
March 13-15: The Harlequin Ensemble Presents James and the Giant Peach
March 14: Holi
March 14: MS Elective Fair
March 20: MS Public Speaking Contest