GA is a PreK-12, coed, nonsectarian day school in Fort Washington, PA

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Jonas Jeswald
Head of Middle School
Biography

Sarah Zimmerman
Academic Dean

Kate Cassidy
Director of Student Life

Julie Marley
Assistant to the Head of Middle School

 

MIDDLE School Stories

Author Matthew Landis Visits GA

Germantown Academy welcomed author and educator Matthew Landis to speak with the Middle School on Wednesday, September 28, in the Honickman Auditorium.

Welcome to Middle School!

6th – 8th Grade

Middle School at GA, in its purist form, is a series of moments that create opportunities for transformational experiences: sixth graders explore an author in-depth during their author study project; seventh graders travel to Boston; eighth graders immerse themselves in complex and detailed science fair projects. Students lead divisional morning meetings, ski together on Friday afternoons, and participate in community service; advisees develop important relationships with their advisor and learn to become self-advocates who are active participants in their learning; athletes participate, defend and score; artists and actors practice, perform and exhibit…the list could go on and on.

Ask a faculty member at Germantown Academy why he or she teaches in our Independent Middle School, you're liable to hear some form of this response: "I love the students, their energy, and the substance of the middle school years." Ask a GA Middle School student what he or she loves most about GA and the response most often is: "my teachers." What you find when you enter our halls are powerful student-teacher relationships that result in active, engaged learners who are immersed in the process of becoming independent, confident, compassionate, collaborative and honorable human beings.

Innovative Programs

Leadership Lab

Lead Lab is a required seventh grade course that meets once a rotation during second semester. After learning about the qualities of a good leader and the importance of being a good follower, students work in small groups to support the needs of an organization in the local community.

1:1 Tablet PC Program

The 1:1 tablet initiative provides our students with engaging access to the world and enhanced communication with their teachers. In addition to working on the tablets in every class and taking them home each night, students also take a Technology course once per rotation.

At the end of her shadow day I asked my daughter how she felt, and the word she used was "uplifted."

I will never forget that, coming from a fifth-grader at the time. I knew then that GA was the right place for her.

In her two years here, she has taken advanced classes and even had a semester of straight A's. She is definitely where she needs to be.

– Christin K., Lower Gwynedd

 

Traditions

Founder's Day

Every year on December 6, Middle School students recognize the founding of the school, which took place in 1759. Students sing the alma mater and take a class photo in the shape of the school's age using a drone.

TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES

Learning doesn't just take place in the classroom; yearly grade-level trips allow students to practice team-building and witness history come to life.

Greek Day

Held on a Friday in late May, Greek Day is a day of class bonding where Middle School students compete as city-states in a series of mental and physical challenges.