The fourth-grade class concluded their tours of the middle school on Tuesday, January 14. This tradition, which has been occurring for over eight years, allows the lower school’s oldest students to picture what life will be like as middle school’s youngest students by spending four hours alongside current fifth graders.

Mrs. Manning, a fourth-grade teacher, said her class had a “nervous excitement” before venturing up to the middle school. The students themselves had nothing but rave reviews of this experience and high hopes for the upcoming school year. The tour allowed students to feel what it was like to be a fifth grader.

When asked about their favorite elements of the tour, both Mrs. Manning and her students said the same thing — “lunch.” Each student received a lollipop when they got to the middle school office. “They had candy!” remarked more than one student.

According to the students, the middle school has the best food ever. For lunch, the prospect of ice cream every day of the week and salad bar was amazing. 

But it wasn’t just the food that made lunch special. Many of the students in the class have older siblings in the middle school and got to see them in the cafeteria. Weezie M. excitedly recounted how she got a chance to hug her brother.

In addition to seeing their siblings and gorging on sweets, many of the students loved the academic atmosphere of the middle school. Walker C. expressed his interest in coding class, and Helen Anne H. loved social studies. In addition, the students were able to write about and discuss eternal life in reading class, and they liked the chance to share their opinions. The students spoke of all they’d learned with wide smiles on their faces.

Largely, the students are looking forward to the independence that comes with middle school. Helen Anne H. remarked that she has “wanted to decorate a locker for a long time” and the other students shared her interest. Also, the students didn’t have to walk in lines, another sign of middle school independence they enjoyed.

In advancing to middle school, fourth graders are in for a bit of a culture shock. Middle School allows for much more autonomy than they recognized in the Lower School. To some, the prospect of venturing to middle school is nerve-wracking. “The fear of the unknown is scary,” Mrs. Manning said. 

However, according to Mrs. Manning, offering the tour does wonders for assuaging the students’ fears. The opportunity allows the students to understand the routines before they enter middle school, making the concept of middle school less foreign.