Middle School Student Life

Students from each homeroom are elected to middle school student council, which allows student leaders to discuss and address activities and issues that impact middle school student life. Responsibilities of student council include planning the annual Spirit Week activities such as themed dress days and class competitions and serving as a liaison for their homeroom class throughout the year.

Small groups are an important part of building community at Shalom. Our 8th grade students lead their small groups, made up of students in 6th through 8th grades. These groups meet once a once throughout the school year and help to foster spiritual growth, friendship, and camaraderie. 

Building relationships among classmates, teachers, family and church is key at Shalom. Several annual traditions strengthen these bonds in middle school, including a three-day fall retreat at a local camp as well as a spring Adventure Race challenge and service activities at Caledonia State Park.

Each middle school student is assigned to a small group of about ten students who regularly meet to discuss chapel topics, play games, and serve together. The spiritual formation and connections within this small group grow as students join in monthly activities during their reward period.

As part of Bible classes, 7th and 8th grade students partner with elementary classes as part of the Learn to Serve program. They go to classrooms and do a variety of activities such as reading to students, helping them with homework or assisting with projects. The Learn to Serve program helps to build community and mentorship as younger children look up to the middle school students as role models. 

As part of the annual Spiritual Emphasis Week, students welcome a speaker to school who presents during chapel period each day for a week. Students come away from this week with renewed faith and many recommit their lives to Christ. Devoting a full week to daily chapel in the fall sets the spiritual tenor for the year.

On Pastor’s Day, pastors are invited to spend a morning with students at school during special programming, allowing pastors see what their youth experience at Shalom. As many as 80 pastors and some of their spouses have attended, visiting classrooms and meeting with the students who attend their churches.

From choir to drama to sports, middle school activities enhance student life and encourage students to embrace their gifts. Both the middle school chorus and band perform at Christmas and in the spring. Students also can join drum line. Students in seventh and eighth grade can participate in drama or serve on the AV tech team as part of regular chapel programs.

At Shalom, athletics is about more than wins and losses—it's about building character and interacting with teammates. In middle school, sports include boys basketball and soccer and girls basketball, soccer and volleyball. Eighth-grade boys have the opportunity to play varsity baseball.

In School Clubs available for Middle School Students:

Art Club - We will paint alongside Bob Ross, painting landscapes, happy trees, and clouds. Wigs and goatees optional! 

Bracelet Club - We will spend time learning to make different types of bracelets.
Board Games & Card Games Club - There will be many different board games/card games to play!

Computer Programming Club - Do you want to learn about computer programming? Then come have some fun doing computer programming.

Coloring Club - Do you love to relax by coloring pages with crayons or colored pencils? Then this club is for you!

Service Club - The service club will do various projects for area agencies such as knotting quilts for CVRC, putting baskets together for Sweet Grace Ministries, and seeking opportunities to help other local organizations. Students will stay on campus for the club.

Sports Club - We will have fun playing different sports, such as soccer, football, basketball, baseball, dodgeball, etc.

Woodworking Club - We will learn how to work with wood and create wooden projects.


*Please note that all of these clubs take place once a month during Friday Activity Period.
 

Students are encouraged to compete in Math Olympics and the district spelling bee in partnership with ACSI.