A DESCRIPTION OF CAMELS HUMP MIDDLE SCHOOL
AND ITS STUDENTS

Background Information		Features of Our Program

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Camels Hump Middle School is located in Richmond, Vermont. It is in a rural district located in the northwestern corner of the state. The school is part of the Chittenden East supervisory School District which consists of approximately 3,000 students from the communities of Bolton, Jericho, Huntington, Richmond, Underhill and Underhill Center. Each local community has an elementary school K-4 varying in size from 75 to 350 students. The 5-12 students are part of the Mount Mansfield Union School District.

Mount Mansfield consists of two middle schools grades 5-8: Browns River located in Underhill and Camels Hump in Richmond. Our 9-12 students attend Mount Mansfield Union High School in Jericho.

Our per pupil expenditures in the Mansfield District are approximately $7,000.00 per student. This includes the costs of operating our own transportation system where nearly 100% of the students are served. The transportation portion is approximately $300.00 of the total per pupil cost.

Camels Hump has a staff of 85 serving 375 students. Our fifth grade has three two member teams (2 straight 5 and 1 multi-aged 5-6) and a self-contained looping classroom; sixth grade has two two-member teams; grades seven and eight have a four-member seventh grade team, a four-member eighth grade team and a multi-aged three-member seventh and eighth grade team.

Each team is responsible for instruction of language arts, reading, social studies, science and mathematics. During the course of the year each team is encouraged to develop and deliver interdisciplinary instructional units. This is a unit of instruction whereby a minimum of two core curriculums are taught together. Heterogeneous grouping is the rule with exceptions being made for some mathematics and reading classes.

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FEATURES OF OUR PROGRAM

Following is a list of the features of Camels Hump Middle School:

1. CHILD CENTERED ENVIRONMENT

   We are attempting as much as possible to keep the interest of the child in the forefront of all the decisions we make relative to our offerings and program.
    

2. UNDERSTANDING THE COGNITIVE, EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS OF ADOLESCENTS

   As we develop our program we are guided by our understanding of what is happening to the child as he/she is bridging the gap from childhood to adulthood. This is critical in developing a valid program for adolescents.
    

3. TEAMING

   We give responsibility for a group of students to a group of teachers. We encourage each team to develop its own identity and traditions. In doing this we provide staff as much flexibility with issues of grouping, block instructional time, scheduling, common planning time, and encouraging instruction across disciplines. Creating options for teachers and students so we can match teaching and learning styles is critical to our success.
    

4. HOMEROOMS

   The student body is divided into groups of approximately 20 students. Each group meets daily for approximately 10 minutes at the start of the day. Our purpose for homeroom is for each child to develop a relationship with an adult in the building who ultimately will champion the child in the building and be the primary communication link with parents.
    

5. EXPLORATORY PROGRAM

   All youngsters are required to take part in the exploratory program. This includes art, family and consumer sciences, information technology, library science and tech ed. A variety of units are taught during the course of the four year experience. All of these classes are coed and mandatory and expose youngsters to a wide range of experiences.
    

6. MUSIC PROGRAM

   Our music program consists of a mandatory music appreciation course for all students in grades five and six. Electives in music for all students include band, chorus and orchestra.
    

7. INTRAMURAL, INTERSCHOLASTIC, AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM

   We put strong emphasis on our intramural program which is open to all students and which runs throughout the year. This program includes soccer, cross country, basketball, volleyball, drama and odyssey of the Mind.

   Our interscholastic program includes soccer, basketball, baseball, softball and cheerleading.

   The physical education program has coed classes for all students. Each child receives two 40 minute periods of physical education each week.
    

8. GUIDANCE AND ENRICHMENT

   The guidance counselors at CHMS see all students in small groups at least once every two weeks for 40 minutes. A varied curriculum is covered over the four year period to cover such issues as self esteem, decision making, understanding differences etc.

   Enrichment is done by classroom teachers in the course of regular instruction rather than as a pull out model. They are supported by an enrichment coordinator who provides resources and strategies for dealing with youngsters. Activities include such things as special projects, peer tutoring, advanced placement, community involvement, talent search, etc.
    

9. SPECIAL EDUCATION

   In this area we are developing an integrated model whereby we deliver services in the regular classroom as opposed to a pull out model during a vast majority of the time. Each instructional team includes a special education and a remediation staff person. This arrangement encourages all youngsters to support one another in the classroom and helps to prevent labeling. It also provides opportunities for educators to share knowledge and support one another in meeting the individual instructional needs of students.
    

10. LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

    Camels Hump in Grade Five has two straight Grade 5 two member teams (Venture/Discovery), a looping Grade 5 Classroom (Espirit) and a two member multi-aged Grade 5-6 Classroom (Pride). Grade 6 has two straight two member Teams (South-East Quest and North-West Quest). Grades 7 and 8 each have a straight four member team. In Grade 7 it is Enterprise and in Grade 8 it is Voyager. At the Seventh and Eighth Grade level we also have a multi-aged three member team (Sequoia).

    Each team is responsible for delivery of the core curriculum which includes reading, language, math, social studies and science. Varied grouping of students, interdisciplinary instruction and addressing individual student needs are stressed in each of these settings. A variety of teaching strategies are used to include direct instruction, use of hands on learning, inquiry approach and cooperative groups to deliver the curriculum. Each teacher is attempting to make learning relative to the child's present understanding and experience and to push youngsters to their full potential.

    Our philosophy and goals speak to "building a positive atmosphere" within our school. We stress the development of positive self-esteem, taking responsibility for ones learning, recognizing individual differences, and making provisions for a variety of learning experiences.
     

11. STAFF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

    Locally, we do not have a program which prepares teachers for the middle grades. We have found that a strong staff development program which brings resource people into the district to be most effective. This can be done evenings during the course of the academic year or during summer workshops. Allowing staff to attend professional conferences and visitations to schools which have established programs is very worthwhile as well.

    Institutional membership in the National Middle School Association, New England League of Middle Schools and the Vermont Association of Middle Level Educators keeps us current in regard to middle level research and practices. This is most helpful when one is reviewing programs and looking for alternatives in dealing with a wide range of situations.

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