Middle School Horizons

Boston Trinity believes that a love for learning is central to academic excellence. One way we help to facilitate this love of learning in the Middle School is through the Horizons program.

Horizons enables Middle School students to have choice in what they study. It offers an opportunity to learn in ways besides typical classes and allows students to engage more creatively with the world in which they live.

In both 7th and 8th Grade, students choose from one of the four Horizons course options: Living Lab, Middle School Play, Model United Nations, and Robotics.

Living Lab

Living Lab brings students out of their classrooms into their environment -- both natural and human -- in order to explore how the relationship between the two may contribute to the health and well being of the local community. In so doing, students learn a sense of responsibility based on a deeper understanding and engagement with their environment. The course involves study of both the ecology of the local area and its relationship to human activity in that area and others impacted by its use and care. Specific areas studied include The Stony Brook Reservation, including Turtle Pond, the Neponset River, including its relationship to the Charles River through Mother Brook, and to Boston Harbor into which it drains. Trips may also be taken to Ponkapoag Pond and other areas for the purpose of comparison and exploration.

Middle School Play

Every year we invite the seventh and eighth grade to audition for a middle school production. A team of experienced faculty support the cast and crew as they engage with all aspects of production, encouraging students to take risks not only on the stage as performers, but behind the scenes as designers, composers, technicians and managers. This experience requires students to collaborate fully, embrace responsibility, and strive for excellence. Past productions include The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Fiddler on the Roof.

Model United Nations

Model United Nations exposes students to the complex issues in our world. Students grapple with international current events and step into the shoes of other countries through the lens of international diplomacy. They learn to debate, negotiate, and compromise to solve world problems alongside hundreds of middle school students from around New England. In the process, students develop skills that will stay with them beyond the Horizons program: public speaking, debate, online research, negotiation, team work and writing skills.

Robotics

The Horizons Robotics course is meant to be a fusion of technology education and the pursuit of a just world. Students do more than "geek out" with fancy toys. They survey the history of automation and discuss the benefits and ethical challenges of technological advancement. The goal of the course is for students to thoughtfully craft robotic creations while considering the full impact of their creations on their community, both locally and globally. Students are essentially doing research and development for Boston Trinity Academy in an attempt to improve some aspect of the community.