I was asked by Chaplain Moore to prepare a homily for today’s LS Chapel – the last Chapel for the current 5th graders who are going into Middle School next year. Here is the message:
Good morning, this will be the last time that you will attend a lower school Chapel.
And as Paul wrote to his young disciple Timothy giving him instructions on how to conduct his life as he matures I would like to talk to you today about some instructions because you are also maturing in your life.
If I were to write an instruction manual for the middle school there would be three chapters that would address the challenges as well as opportunities for all of you to mature:
Chapter one). Academic expectations,
Chapter two). Social life and
Chapter three). Physical changes.
Each of these three chapters would describe in detail the special things to be aware of as you move from the lower school into the middle school at St. John’s.
The middle school, though not a new concept in American public schools, is a new concept at St. John’s as we have added this only last year, and it has already proven to be a good solution to help in the transition from elementary school to high school.
As you grow and develop – from a baby to a toddler to an elementary student to preadolescence through the teenage years and finally into a young adult – there are different developmental phases that you go through that happened that normally to you academically, socially and physically.
During the middle school years, academically, you start to begin to be able to understand abstract concepts. Something as invisible yet important as both gravity and electricity are both taught in middle school and understood by middle school students because they can grasp the idea of an abstract concept. We teach the academic courses in middle school with appropriate levels out instruction so that you begin to understand abstract concepts in ways that help you to make connections between the concrete world and the things that you cannot experience, see, taste, smell or feel.
Socially, you start to begin to gather in groups with your peers — students your age — and try to identify with your peer group more then younger students or adult’s. This group activity becomes the focus of many middle school students and it can be a very exciting time as well as very challenging when a group that you think you want to get into doesn’t seem to welcome you. We at St. John’s have developed the middle school to help with this new social activity and are offering extra counseling and support for students so they can feel more welcome and more successful in their peer group transition process.
Physically, your body goes through very many changes — you will begin to hear about hormones and you will begin to feel different in many ways: tired, isolated, misunderstood, and full of energy and excitement, wondering about dances and telephone calls, and sometimes driving your teachers and parents crazy. We offer special classes to educate students about these changes so they come to understand their body better and know what that what they are going through is normal and OK.
These three chapters in your instruction manual have been experienced by all the students that have gone before you. They all went through this big transition from lower school into middle school and they all know that it is a challenging time which holds many opportunities for you to succeed.
Success can be considered the acquisition of true wisdom, which can be described as someone who is “…wise, peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere”. Today’s reading from the Epistle of James gives us all instruction about how to be successful as peacemakers. He writes, “Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness”.
My hope is for each of you to find peace during this transition time as you become part of our middle school, helping others to find peace in their academic, social, and physical challenges and opportunities they are going to face at St. John’s school next year. Peace to all of you and get ready for the middle school!
Thank you for listening.
