Page 14 - FIS World

Strength in Small Numbers
FISW’s Grade 6–8 students are ourishing
It is the beginning of December and I am attending the Winter Assembly at the FIS Wiesbaden Campus. The whole school is present. A group of teenagers sits down
at my table and I overhear their conversations while the event unfolds. The assembly takes nearly an hour with children telling their school friends about winter celebrations in their families.
The teenage boys at my table also tell each other about their own traditions or special meals and treats that they cherish, but what strikes me most is how kindly they talk to each other and how patiently they listen to all the little ones. A few days later, St. Nicholas day arrives and some of the Middle School students are dressed as Santa Claus, happily handing out sweets to the excited Primary children.
The Middle School at the Wiesbaden Campus is now well-established and has become an integral part to a school that had more of an elementary feel to it for a long time. I meet Scott Hardgrove, internationally-experienced
12 FIS World February 2017
teacher and coordinator of Grades 6–8 at FISW, to talk about the advantages and challenges that the school’s expansion has brought about.
To date, there are 51 students in Grades 6–8, considerably more boys than girls, which is a mere coincidence, but one that makes Mr. Hardgrove’s quali cation in psychology of boys education even more relevant. Four dedicated advisors, as the Middle School teachers are called, are responsible for pastoral care and cover the core program of subjects. Additionally, there are a number of teachers who teach across the campus and embody a link between Elementary and Middle School.
Growing into their teenage years, students need and want to feel that they have moved on to the next stage in their school life. And FISW makes sure that they do. As much as they are part of the school community, they also have their own dedicated spaces, choose electives, and have certain privileges once they enter Grade 6. Part of the campus is