Middlesex Middle School
Encyclopedia
Middlesex Middle School is a middle school
in the Darien Public Schools district in Darien
, Connecticut
, United States. The school serves students from sixth through eighth grades. Each grade is divided into 4 teams of around 100 to 175 students. In eighth grade there is the Tan, Maroon, Navy and Green teams, for seventh grade there is the Gold, Purple, Aqua and Blue teams and for sixth grade there is the Bronze, Silver, Red and Orange teams.
Middlesex takes advantage of its location in a wealthy neighborhood to make generous donations to charity organizations such as UNICEF. For example, the school has been the nationwide leading contributor to UNICEF for 2004 to 2006, based on its size. In addition, a daffodil drive is held every year to help raise money for cancer. In May 2006, American Idol
runner-up Clay Aiken
made a surprise visit to the school in gratitude for its UNICEF contributions of $14,000 that year.
In Feb. 2007 Middlesex MathCounts team won the first prize in the South-Western CT MathCounts competition, while the team captain 8th grade student Michael Kushnir won the individual 1st prize. The team went on to CT state MathCounts competition to win the 2nd team place, yielding to a perennial champion Hopkins School. Michael advanced to the second round -- CountDown -- to win the 2nd place there.
In the school year of 2007 and 2008, the school helped Good Morning America's coat drive. They were the second largest contributor right behind Burlington Coat Factory who was Number One. They Normally helped with a coat drive of their own, but when the Student Council and the School's Newspaper (The Dragon) teamed up, they worked together to get the stundents to contribute lots of coats to this cause.
Middlesex is also the highest performing school for the National Geography Bee in Connecticut. Middlesex has been participating in the Bee since 1989. In eighteen of those years MMS' own geography bee champions have qualified for the statewide rounds and took the state championship in 1989, 2005, 2006, and 2011-representing Connecticut three times at nationals.
In 1983, Middlesex was changed from a junior high school to a middle school. The ninth grade was transferred at that point to Darien High School
.
Since 2005, the school district has been gradually equipping the school with air conditioning.
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
in the Darien Public Schools district in Darien
Darien, Connecticut
Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. A relatively small community on Connecticut's "Gold Coast", the population was 20,732 at the 2010 census. Darien was listed at #9 at CNN Money's list of "top-earning towns" in the United States as of 2011...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, United States. The school serves students from sixth through eighth grades. Each grade is divided into 4 teams of around 100 to 175 students. In eighth grade there is the Tan, Maroon, Navy and Green teams, for seventh grade there is the Gold, Purple, Aqua and Blue teams and for sixth grade there is the Bronze, Silver, Red and Orange teams.
Awards and recognition
Middlesex has been selected as a National Blue Ribbon School.Middlesex takes advantage of its location in a wealthy neighborhood to make generous donations to charity organizations such as UNICEF. For example, the school has been the nationwide leading contributor to UNICEF for 2004 to 2006, based on its size. In addition, a daffodil drive is held every year to help raise money for cancer. In May 2006, American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
runner-up Clay Aiken
Clay Aiken
Clayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and author who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released...
made a surprise visit to the school in gratitude for its UNICEF contributions of $14,000 that year.
In Feb. 2007 Middlesex MathCounts team won the first prize in the South-Western CT MathCounts competition, while the team captain 8th grade student Michael Kushnir won the individual 1st prize. The team went on to CT state MathCounts competition to win the 2nd team place, yielding to a perennial champion Hopkins School. Michael advanced to the second round -- CountDown -- to win the 2nd place there.
In the school year of 2007 and 2008, the school helped Good Morning America's coat drive. They were the second largest contributor right behind Burlington Coat Factory who was Number One. They Normally helped with a coat drive of their own, but when the Student Council and the School's Newspaper (The Dragon) teamed up, they worked together to get the stundents to contribute lots of coats to this cause.
Middlesex is also the highest performing school for the National Geography Bee in Connecticut. Middlesex has been participating in the Bee since 1989. In eighteen of those years MMS' own geography bee champions have qualified for the statewide rounds and took the state championship in 1989, 2005, 2006, and 2011-representing Connecticut three times at nationals.
History
The 1937 school building, a brick Colonial revival structure, sits on a 27.34 acres (110,641.2 m²) site at 204 Hollow Tree Ridge Road. The building underwent a major, $27 million addition and renovation in the late 1990s, which was completed in 2000.In 1983, Middlesex was changed from a junior high school to a middle school. The ninth grade was transferred at that point to Darien High School
Darien High School
Darien High School is the single public high school serving the town of Darien, Connecticut, in the United States.The Latin motto on the school seal means "The truth will set you free" or "The truth will make you free." The motto is shared by other institutions, including Johns Hopkins...
.
Since 2005, the school district has been gradually equipping the school with air conditioning.
Sporting Events
Unlike some secondary schools in the area, Middlesex does not have any inter-school sports teams. However, intramural sports are abundant. These "after-school" sports are very popular at Middlesex. The sports start in the fall, and continue through the spring. All sports are either refereed or managed by various teachers. These sports in order are, soccer, flag football, ping-pong, volleyball, and basketball. The two most popular sports are flag football and basketball, each of which has a league for 6th and 7th graders, and a separate "elite" league for the 8th graders. Middlesex's gyms and large amount of field space usually are occupied by a travel basketball team or a town soccer game. In Physical Education, students play an array of sports from handball to track and field, and lacrosse.External links
- http://www.darienps.org/middlesex/ Middlesex Middle School website
- http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/ct/224 Great Schools web pages about the school
- http://www.darienps.org Darien Public Schools Website
- http://www.darienps.org/dhs Darien High School Website (DHS)
- http://www.darienps.org/unsolomundo/ Darien a Darién Program Website