How do Meridian students learn?

Meridian's unique mission and values demand a unique curriculum that's based in student engagement. Educators frequently note that adolescents are most engaged in electives and extra-curricular activities such as theater, Model UN, debate, athletics and visual arts. In its seven-year academic program, Meridian deliberately incorporates the attributes of these activities and more.

Explore how Meridian students learn below by clicking on each card!

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with variety

Diversity at Meridian means students and families who come from diverse backgrounds engaging with a global curriculum that honors the history, culture, and perspectives of communities from around the world. The richness of what we learn is supported by the variety of ways in which we learn. On a given day, students might be designing an experiment together, holding a discussion about a novel, or visiting a museum. We recognize that diversity in all its forms creates a more powerful and positive learning experience.

with an emphasis on communication

Students practice speaking and writing persuasively, creatively, and technically in all subjects.

with guided collaboration

Students learn to work together to establish and maintain respect for each other and to help guide life at the school. Collaborative leadership within and between the students and faculty builds trust, caring, and a celebratory community.

We know that learning doesn’t only happen sitting at desks. Activity is important, which is why you can find Meridian students sitting on the floor building robots, standing at a board having a written conversation, or dancing to recent hits from Spanish-speaking countries. Students also take two 90-minute Physical Education classes each week.

With Movement

with a city for a classroom

Students regularly interact with the broader community and take advantage of our urban location. We work with research librarians at the Copley Library, ecologists at the Arnold Arboretum, and curators at the Museum of Fine Arts. But we don't stop there. Classes take trips to historical sites, natural settings, and even other countries.

with regular supportive feedback

Small classes and no letter grades mean students learn that growth is an ongoing process. Working closely with their teachers and their peers, students embrace reflection and revision as the path to thoughtful and effective work.

with enough time to dive in

Students work in-depth on projects for an extended time, refining their skills and knowledge as they go. Practicing this type of learning prepares students to do complex, dynamic, college-level work as they progress through their years at Meridian and beyond.

with an interdisciplinary lens

Good learning is about making connections. In classes that bridge literature and history or mathematics and science, students get to make wide-ranging and sophisticated connections, and they can better see the relationships between the events and ideas that they study. Creative projects also inspire students to work in new visual and audio media, including art, music, video, podcasts, architecture, 3D printing, infographics, woodworking, graphic design, and more.

with multi-age classrooms

Our classes mix older and younger students, and because of this, students regularly practice leadership and listening skills. Meridian has four divisions. Division 1 consists of grades 5 & 6; Division 2 is grades 7 & 8; Division 3 is grades 9 & 10; and Division 4 is grades 11 & 12. Spanish classes are sectioned by skill level within the middle and upper school and can include students from many grades. Electives, extracurricular activities, Community Groups, and Committees are all multi-age experiences. Students are grouped by single grades during Grade Meetings, where they explore social-emotional and academic topics developmentally relevant to a specific age group.

Authenticity

Students undertake meaningful work that is immediately relevant to their world. Classes draw on current events, and projects are publicly displayed three times a year to an audience of peers, parents, teachers, and other community members. This audience cares about the work that students do and provides meaningful feedback, questions, and encouragement.