Mulgrave School has adopted the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) as a way to better meet the needs of adolescent students and effectively bridge the gap between the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) in Kindergarten through Grade 6 and the IB Diploma Programme (DP) in Grades 11 and 12. Having achieved Candidate status for the MYP, the school intends to complete its authorization process in the fall of 2008.

There are, within the MYP, two domains that correspond to the two fundamental aims we have for students during these years.  The first is a strong academic programme that stresses inquiry-based learning and offers students a rich initiation into the “great conversations” of human inquiry.  The eight subject areas that make up the MYP are Arts, Mathematics, Science, Humanities (Social Studies), Language A (English), Language B (French), Technology, and Physical Education.  Students also have the option of choosing to take courses in ACE (Academic Creative Enrichment), Creative Writing, Mandarin, Instrumental Performance, Latin, Global Issues, Theatre Arts, and Visual Arts.  Students are encouraged to make meaningful connections to the subject matter at hand through the use of “unit questions” and repeated consideration of five “areas of interaction”.  The philosophy beneath the methodology is that adolescent students, in particular, need a way to make learning authentic by connecting the dots between disparate pieces of information.  The MYP is particularly well suited to meeting this need.

The second domain within the MYP—and long a staple at Mulgrave School—is explicit attention given to the development of character.  We feel this is particularly important during the middle years, when adolescent students are at a stage of exploration and identity-formation.  Using the IB Learner Profile as a guide, our Middle School teachers are committed to helping students become principled, open-minded, balanced, reflective, caring and knowledgeable individuals who, in their own way, will be able to make a difference in the world.  The cultivation of these qualities is pursued directly—through our Mentoring programme or the Mulgrave Portfolios—or indirectly, i.e. by way of the camping expeditions, the playing field, the outreach trips, and in the classroom itself.  The Mentoring programme provides each student with a teacher to oversee his or her academic and social well-being, while the Portfolio programme encourages students to be socially responsible by completing 30 to 40 hours of service for the school or local community.

The Middle Years Programme is complemented and augmented by the Renaissance Activity Programme, which allows students to sample a diverse selection of arts, athletics and citizenship activities throughout the school year.  The school also sponsors competitive athletic teams in rugby, volleyball, and basketball, as well as a wide variety of co-curricular activities. Taken as a whole, the middle school curriculum is designed to meet the particular needs of adolescent students and prepare them for the challenges and opportunities within the Senior School.