MIDDLE SCHOOL ACADEMICS

Girls are at the center of our educational design

Girls thrive academically because our classrooms are intentionally designed to afford student agency and a platform where they develop their voices, while encouraged to take academic risks to further challenge and expand their intellectual capacity and curiosity.

Math, science, history, English, creative arts, and World Languages (Latin, Spanish, or French) are the core of the Walker’s Middle School curriculum. Hands-on learning is used extensively to build engagement and enhance skills. Alongside academics, our seminar and community partnerships programs are designed to further instill confidence and personal balance.

A Look Into Your Day

Explore the classes The Ethel Walker Middle School has to offer by clicking through offerings by grade level, or by taking a look through our more in-depth curriculum guide.

English 7
History 7: World Geography
MS Latin Foundations
Math 7: Foundations of Algebra
STEAM 7
Middle School Visual and Performing Arts Electives
Middle School Seminar

English 8
History: American Identity
MS Spanish or MS French
Math 8: Algebra Concepts or Math 8 Honors: Algebra 1
STEAM 8
Middle School Visual and Performing Arts Electives
Middle School Seminar

Signature Trips

In Their Words

Since coming to Walker's in Middle School, I feel more confident to try new things because the Walker's community supports me.

—McKenna B. '28

All-Middle School Retreat

This retreat kicks off our school year! In partnership with Empower Leadership, students participate in carefully designed programming for girls to bond, learn about themselves, and bolster one another.

8th Grade Retreat

This retreat takes place at the end of the school year, a ritual that honors our 8th grade students as new leaders in their Middle School. Students learn to explore, take healthy risks, and support one another.

Montreal, Canada Experience

Designed by our faculty, this trip is thoughtfully planned to complement the 8th grade curriculum. This trip is a wonderful learning experience and another opportunity for our students to bond.

Community Leadership Program

This program is a three-day conference in Vermont that works with our 7th grade students as they learn to become leaders within our School and the community.

Middle School Seminars

7th Grade: Study Skills

Students develop study skills and executive function strategies, including organization, planning, task initiation, and sustained attention. Using the SMARTS Executive Function Curriculum, they build practical skills to support academic success.

7th Grade: Emotional Wellness

In this seminar, students strengthen their social-emotional skills with a focus on identity, well-being, and healthy relationships. Through reflection and discussion, students build self-awareness, empathy, and communication skills.

8th Grade: Speak Out!

This seminar helps 8th grade students build confidence in public speaking while preparing for Upper School. Through interactive activities, students strengthen their voices, communication skills, and confidence as speakers.

8th Grade: Lead From Where You Stand

This seminar helps students build confidence, develop leadership skills, and strengthen their voices. Students explore belonging, healthy relationships, and the power of everyday leadership.

Social Justice and Inclusion

At Walker’s we strive to create and sustain communities where each and every student can experience belonging. Students lend a crucial voice to shape and drive this work forward. Students are at the center of the Walker’s experience and their multiple social identities prepare them for full and intentional lives within and beyond our school.

In the Middle School specifically, Walker’s curriculum is designed to develop thoughtful and intentionally-engaged students committed to understanding the impact of identity and stereotypes. The exploration of identity and stereotypes allows our students to build self-awareness in an attempt to create social change and transformative impacts in our community and beyond. Our community’s identity is informed by empathy, culturally responsive teachingand reciprocal learning. We acknowledge the value of diversity within our community and weave Social Justice and Inclusion into the fabric of who we are and what we do. This work lives in our classrooms, in the dorms and on the fields, and it is central to our identity as a school.

A team of administrators, faculty, staff, and students come together each year to plan an all-school assembly followed by grade specific workshops. Middle School student topics have included Art and Justice Movements, Women of the Civil Rights Movement, and Young Activists from the Civil Rights Era and Today. Students focus their learning on young women of color and how their voices were used to create change rooted in racial justice.

Lacuna

Lacuna (noun); a gap; an interval

7th Grade Community Leadership Program 

Designed to cultivate empathy and leadership, the 7th Grade Community Leadership Program guides students in making a tangible difference. After launching on campus with an exploration of non-profit organizations and personal strengths, students head to the Hulbert Outdoor Center in Fairlee, Vermont, for an immersive three-day retreat. Through hands-on team-building challenges and leadership workshops, students collaborate on how they can help their community. The program culminates back on campus, where participants share their learning and plan a student-driven Community Day to benefit a local organization.

Montreal, Canada Experience

An exclusive tradition for our 8th grade class, this immersive journey brings classroom learning to life in the vibrant heart of Quebec. Students will discover the historic charm and modern energy of Montréal — navigating unique cultural districts, practicing conversational French, and exploring the city’s unique blend of traditions. Designed to broaden global perspectives while creating unforgettable shared memories, this trip provides a powerful opportunity for students to bond, grow, and celebrate their middle school journey together.