Activities & Traditions
Clubs & Activities
Senate
Middle School students are represented in The Senate. This body meets biweekly, allowing both boys and girls voice and representation. This body gives students a strong say in the student life and affairs of the school as well as developing leadership and problem-solving strategies. Students can propose and organize school events and service learning projects.
Extracurricular Classes
These classes and lessons held during the afternoon are fee-based and instructor led. There are a wide range of activities, including: chess, arts and crafts, cooking, science and engineering, drama, and explorations in foreign language. Private music lessons are offered to encourage students to continue to excel with their instruments or try something new.
Students who participate in extra-curricular classes often take advantage of Extended Day as well, in order to bridge the gap between the times school dismisses, the extra-curricular activity begins, and parents arrive for pick-up.
Clubs
At St. Thomas School, middle schoolers have the opportunity to experience a Middle School club each week as part of the weekly schedule. They get the opportunity to sign up for clubs, ranging in selection from unicycling to drama to Japanese. In keeping with the MS goal of empowering students and fostering leadership, students are encouraged to propose clubs, subject to a minimum quorum of peers and a faculty member to help out. Students experience the MS Club during last period (2:20-3:00 p.m.) on Thursday afternoons.
Falcon's Ledge
Falcon's Ledge in the Middle School Plaza provides 5th - 8th Grade students a safe place to "hang out" after school to quietly socialize, study, or engage in a favorite activity. Falcon's Ledge is open daily from 3:20 to 4:30 p.m.
Traditions
Falcon Day
The first day of school for STS Middle Schoolers happens away from school! Faculty and students challenge themselves and each other with special outdoor activities at Bellevue Challenge Course.
The whole day will be devoted to team challenges, allowing students and faculty to experience pushing their boundaries in a safe, fun, active, and adventure-filled environment. This program will happen rain or shine!
Health Fair
The STS Middle School Program has a truly unique approach to health education. Along with addressing health topics in science, Life Skills, Advisory, and Physical Education classes, each year our week-long health fair is held. This experience goes for several days and is composed of compulsory classes and electives, allowing students to choose topics of interest, as well as opportunities to work with students in other grades. Workshops, field trips, seminars, and presentations will be led by teachers and staff, as well as school parents and outside experts.
Graduation
At STS we know that rites of passage are essential and add meaning and depth to adolescent lives. Graduation offers our 8th Graders an experience of significant intensity, with the students themselves, rather than visiting guest speakers, taking center stage as they deliver personal speeches with passion and poise. The emphasis is on service, leadership, self-reflection, and journey. Graduation connects to the 8th Graders’ service learning experiences that develop into a project with a final exhibition. This service will reflect on the notion of citizenship founded upon understanding local, national, and global responsibilities, also celebrating life as an adventure with challenges, joys, and accomplishments.