To celebrate the start of the new school year, our middle school students are enthusiastically exploring a rich selection of great literature! This literary journey promises to ignite their love for reading and expand their horizons as they dive into novels, poems, and essays from various genres and cultures. Eighth grade students are reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, a classic novel that examines the bonds of friendship and rivalry among a group of teenage friends from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The story explores the negative effects of a divided community, stereotypes and the power of empathy as a response to that impact.
Seventh graders are embarking on an emotional adventure with Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, a heartwarming tale that explores the complexities of friendship and self-discovery, the theme of empathy as a source of understanding and the role of stories in the human experience.
In sixth grade, students are exploring the historical novel Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, which delves into themes of courage and resistance during World War II. As part of their novel study, six graders spoke with Ethan Paikowsky, a person of Jewish heritage. What made the experience even more special was the opportunity to have this conversation on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish faith. The students got to ask Mr. Paikowsky questions about his perspective on the book; his knowledge of the Holocaust, particularly regarding The March of the Living, during which he traveled to Europe to study the Holocaust with other Jewish teens and Holocaust survivors; and his experience as a Jewish person today in the United States.
These three novels not only provide students with captivating stories but also offer valuable lessons on Clairbourn’s Code of Ethics – honesty, respect, responsibility, spirituality and citizenship!