Sixth grade is a pivotal transition for elementary students as they come together for the first time as middle schoolers at Ecker Hill.   Navigating the block schedule, meeting eight new teachers, memorizing locker combinations, all while figuring out the social life of a tween.   

Lucky for this group of students, they have a vibrant new teacher who is ready to lead them in all things middle school.  Maddie Borba, joined the special education team this year after a stint as a fourth-grade teacher at Trailside Elementary.  She loved the classroom but it was the students with special needs who tugged at her heart and drew her into special education.  It was a perfect match for the launch of a new program at EHMS.   

Middle school is a natural transition from the focus of learning academic skills to applying them to real life.  Students in this program attend all the traditional core classes but at the end of each day get to put their skills into practice.  Math manifests as measurement while cooking in the kitchen or budgeting at Walmart.  Reading transforms into navigating the bus schedule and ordering off the menu at local restaurants.   Embedded in all of these activities are the soft skills of interaction, problem-solving, and collaboration as part of this experiential learning. 

We are excited about this new opportunity and extremely grateful for Maddie's vision of making learning meaningful within our community!