Middle School

Middle School Principal's Blogs

Blogs from the Middle School Principal,
Marilyn Moreno

Marilyn Moreno, Bullis Middle School

April 1, 2013

A Busy Winter Trimester

Middle School students are truly growing in all aspects of their lives at Bullis, and some of our second trimester activities are great examples: Geography Bee (the winner advanced to the state level), MS Activity night, a Diversity Conference for independent schools at Sandy Spring Friends School, a basketball tournament (Bullis MS won first place), a cross-divisional Festival of Gods Activity in 6th grade Latin, the phenomenal MS musical “Honk”, Community Day and the District Choir Festival for 8th grade (receiving a II excellent rating).

Among all these events, you may ask what Community Day is and how does it help adolescent growth? Community Day is a day of learning beyond the four walls of the classroom. It’s a day of surprise when regularly scheduled classes are replaced with an inspirational speaker, team building exercises, case study discussions and games. It’s a day devoted to student reflection of self, community and total acceptance of every middle school member.

This year, Community Day began with a surprise breakfast upon arrival to school. The surprises continued as the renowned speaker Mawi Asgedom, author of the award-winning book Of Beetles and Angels joined us. He shared his life story from his birth in Ethiopia, his life in a refugee camp in Sudan to avoid war to his new life in the United States at the age of 7 when he had to leave his country behind. In the U.S., Mawi overcame language and cultural barriers to eventually graduate with top honors and give the commencement address at Harvard University. He was a guest on Oprah Winfrey’s show, and is considered one of the 100 most inspirational speakers for youth in the United States.

During Mawi’s presentation, three major points Mawi were stressed:

  1. Embrace differences as positives. We are all unique. It is our uniqueness that makes us special and adds to the communities in which we live. 
  2. Don’t allow community members to feel invisible. Student leaders are encouraged to reach out to others so all feel welcomed and included. 
  3. Push your power button. We all are in control of our actions and efforts.No one can push the power button for you but you.Once pushed all buttons lead to success. 

As we enter the last trimester of the school year, the calendar is full of additional activities, academic challenges and recognitions. Bullis is a great place to be!

December 17: "Reflections and Gratefulness"

As the first half of my year comes to an end, I reflect back to August 1, when I walked onto Bullis’ gorgeous campus. I anxiously waited for students to fill the hallways and watched as they entered South Hall to decorate lockers for the new school year. Now, I experience similar feelings knowing students will soon be dismissed for vacation break. I find myself anxiously awaiting their return to campus to complete the many projects and exciting initiatives we have started.

The Middle School currently is involved in numerous STEM-related activities. We began a STEM / Entrepreneurial speaker series, and we are looking forward to STEM-related field trips to NASA in Huntsville, Alabama, and the Marine Ecology Lab in Key Largo, Florida.

The inquiry-based science program we are piloting is proving to be a challenging and engaging curriculum we have decided to continue and expand, and project-based learning is the instructional tool of choice for Middle School staff as we develop culminating projects to be showcased in May. The Middle School Virtual Author Series, on-line modular units, the Geography Bee and Haiku and so much more add volumes to the educational experience.

With these thoughts in mind, the holiday season is the perfect time to share all we are grateful for. Please know:

I am grateful to be a part of an institution where words are not just written on paper, they are witnessed in deliberate actions, positive teacher modeling and displays of staff commitment.

I am grateful for student-centered instruction that is informed by characteristics of adolescents.

I am grateful for pleasant faces that greet and interact with students and parents on a daily basis through genuine exchanges.

I am grateful for teachers who promote student self-advocacy and introduce strategies that promote 21st century leaders; and

I am grateful for a school that understands the importance of a well- balanced curriculum mixed with good old fashioned fun.

During this joyous time of year, when gifts are given as well as received, I extend wishes for peace and happiness to all. I encourage everyone to spend quality time with family and friends during the next few weeks and look forward to all returning from New Year celebrations refreshed, re-energized and renewed with hope and prosperity. Seasons Greetings!

October 24: "Learning Opportunities"

As we enter our second trimester at Bullis School, I am convinced our Middle School students are exposed to a multitude of opportunities to gain knowledge regarding academics, themselves and the world.Learning from these opportunities is not always an easy process. It involves exploring the unknown, learning from mistakes and taking the risk of sharing one’s ideas and opinions. It also requires consistent effort that leads to success, courage and perseverance; important elements in becoming lifelong learners.

Respect, caring and helping others can also be found within the walls of South Hall. We are finding ways to help others through community services projects, we are learning to celebrate differences by welcoming diversity as additional value added to our instructional program and we are developing multi-disciplinary projects students will showcase at the end of the year.

The combination of experiential education trips, informative and entertaining Middle School assemblies, creative academic lessons and well-attended parent meetings topped with grand old fashioned cookouts, dances and haunted forests are making for a great year! What a great start!

August 18: "A New Chapter"

As many are enjoying their last weeks of summer vacation, I spend countless hours thinking of the students that will soon fill the halls of Bullis Middle School. I am also reminded of an email conversation I recently had with one of my former middle school students. This student emailed to share her recent assignment as a middle school teacher. We spoke of the joys of working with middle school students, why teaching middle school is so rewarding and the social, emotional as well as academic developmental stages of the middle school child.

As we spoke, I was inundated by a wave of emotions. I was thrilled my former student was embarking on a new and wonderful adventure. I was equally moved and excited about the new chapter of my life. My thoughts ended in realization. I am anxious. I anxiously await the day teachers return to prepare a balanced educational program for students, I wait in anticipation for the Bullis doors to open to welcome 197 middle school students and I look forward to the creativity, innovativeness and uniqueness of each middle school student that will walk through the Bullis doors.

Enjoy the remainder of your summer. I’ll see you September 5.