Middlesex Middle School is a

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

in the

Darien Public Schools Darien Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Darien, Connecticut, United States. The district has seven schools. The many members of the Board of Education in Darien are part of the Government and politics of Darien, Connecticut, ...

district in Darien,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, United States. The school serves students from sixth through eighth grades. Each grade is divided into 4 teams of around 90 to 150 students. In eighth grade there are the Teal (formerly Tan), Maroon, Navy and Green teams, for seventh grade there are the Gold, Purple, Aqua and Blue teams and for sixth grade there are the Yellow (formerly Bronze), Silver, Red and Orange teams.

Awards and recognition

Middlesex has been selected as a

National Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

but, according to former principal Shelley Somers, the Blue Ribbon "blew down in a storm" in September 2017. Web page titled "Welcome from the Principal" at Middlesex Middle School Web site, accessed June 21, 2007 Middlesex donates to various charity organizations such as

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

. For example, the school has been a 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'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

runner-up

Clay Aiken Clayton Holmes Aiken (''né'' Grissom; born November 30, 1978) is an American singer, television personality, actor, politician, and activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of ''American Idol'' in 2003, and his debut album, ' ...

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 Connecticut's statewide MathCounts competition to win the 2nd place, yielding to perennial champion

Hopkins School Hopkins School is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational, day school for grades 7–12 located in New Haven, Connecticut. In 1660, Edward Hopkins, seven-time governor of the Connecticut Colony, bequeathed a portion of his estate to found s ...

. Kushnir advanced to the second round and won the individual 2nd place prize. In the school year of 2007 and 2008, the school helped Good Morning America's coat drive, and also held a coat drive of their own. The 2013 yearbook (Tidings) entitled "Facts + Figures" received a Gold Medal critique from the

Columbia Scholastic Press Association The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) is an international student press association, founded in 1925, whose goal is to unite student journalists and faculty advisers at schools and colleges through educational conferences, idea exchang ...

and won a 2014 Gold Crown from CSPA. Middlesex is also the highest performing school for the

National Geography Bee The National Geographic GeoBee (called the National Geography Bee from 1989 to 2000 and the National Geographic Bee from 2001 to 2018, also referred to as the Nat Geo Bee) was an annual geography contest sponsored by the National Geographic Soci ...

in Connecticut. In twenty-four of those years MMS' own geography bee champions have qualified for the statewide rounds and took the state championship in 1989, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2018-representing Connecticut eight times at nationals. On April 20, 2016, Middlesex was the chosen site for the National History Bee's Bridgeport Regional Finals. In 2016, Middlesex's quiz bowl team also won national championship titles at both the inaugural US Academic Bowl National Championships, and the Middle School National Championship Tournament organized by

NAQT National Academic Quiz Tournaments, LLC is a question-writing and quiz bowl tournament-organizing company founded by former players in 1996. It is unique among U.S. quiz organizations for supplying questions and hosting championships at the midd ...

. Middlesex's quiz bowl team has also been 3rd in the 2017 nationals and 5th in the 2018 nationals. Middlesex offers STEM and computer courses as part of its curriculum. Part of this curriculum includes the Google Expeditions AR program — a unique experience offered to select schools nationally to introduce Augmented Reality educational tools under development.

History

The 1937 school building, a brick

Colonial revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...

structure, sits on a 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 is the single public high school serving the town of Darien, Connecticut, in the United States. Background In 2014, Darien High School had the highest SAT scores in the state. In the 2004–2005 school year, Darien had the se ...

. Since 2005, the school district has been gradually equipping the school with air conditioning.Amoroso, Austin, "Finance notes: Hindley elementary to get a modular classroom", article in ''The Darien Times'', February 15, 2007, accessed via NewsBank Web site (www.newsbank.com) on November 15, 2007

Pictures

Image:DarienCTEntranceMiddlesexMSch07262007.JPG, Entrance Image:DarienCTCupolaMiddlesexMSch07222007.JPG, The

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...

can be seen from I-95 and has antennae behind it Image:DarienCTFrontDoorMiddlesexMSch07222007.JPG, Former front door

Notes

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External links

Middlesex Middle School website

Great Schools web pages about the school

Darien Public Schools Website

Darien High School Website (DHS)

Darien a Darién Program Website Buildings and structures in Darien, Connecticut Schools in Fairfield County, Connecticut Middle schools in Connecticut