Middle School

Gross Schechter Day School’s Middle School program stresses critical thinking and creativity, curiosity and perseverance and global awareness and personal responsibility.

Gross Schechter Day School’s Middle School program stresses critical thinking and creativity, curiosity and perseverance, and global awareness and personal responsibility. The Gross Schechter graduate is a confident thought-leader within each of his/her communities, and easily takes on and excels in leadership and advocacy positions. 

To develop students with strong senses of identity and purpose, students progressively take on more ownership of and pride in their education and goals as they move through the middle school years.  All parties — students, families, and staff — work together to set and reach personalized goals and measures of success that showcase the value each student brings as well as individual passions and talents. Our skilled teachers and staff build trust and community that allows for close collaboration by which students are better able to define passions and skills. In turn, teachers utilize the student’s unique interests and skills to build an individualized curriculum. 

Each class within our dual curriculum program holds students to high, rigorous standards with outstanding results. Staff collaborate on curriculum and skills to enhance student learning across subject and curricular areas. With the help of our one-to-one student Chromebooks and up-to-date ed-tech knowledge, all divisions — from Bible to Science — infuse technology into curriculum, helping to build twenty-first century-ready learners and upstanding digital citizens who are both competent and confident in their technology skills. 

The strong focus on Jewish values embedded into all aspects of a Gross Schechter education cultivates students who are adept in communicating within a variety of forums to a variety of ages. Our students are independent, creative problem-solvers, unafraid of using out-of-the-box thinking to impact the greater world. Some of the many highlights of a Gross Schechter Middle School experience are:

• Students are confident in and capable of expressing their Jewish identity in a variety of forums including leading all-school and community prayer services, acting as guest Torah or Megillah readers at local synagogues, and advocating for the State of Israel. 
• Robust choices for extracurricular activities based on a wide array of interests, both within Schechter and with other schools. Many students compete in interscholastic sports, including soccer and basketball. For those interested in developing their written voice, we participate in the statewide Power of the Pen program, often sending representatives to the state competition. Our student government provides leadership and community service opportunities, allowing students to have a voice in developing the Schechter experience. 
• Creative arts are embedded directly into the curriculum as another way of helping students develop and express their Jewish values and identities. 
• Strong, genuine, lasting relationships between the student and each of his/her teachers as well as with the grade-level advisor, a teacher with whom the class meets daily. Advisors and staff work collaboratively with students to serve as mentors in academic and social development. 
• Leadership and personal growth opportunities within the building, ranging from a buddy program where Middle School students serve as peer role models to Preschool children to working with faculty and staff to enact school wide policies, procedures, or service projects based on student interests and community / global needs. 
• A Tikkun Olam Program that encourages students to embrace the Jewish value of Repairing the World through acts of service. Students regularly work with local food banks, elderly populations, and children who are less fortunate as a means of giving back to the local and global communities. 
• Expansive opportunities to explore real world applications of academic content, including the 7th grade’s accoladed participation in the annual Northeast Ohio Science and Engineering Fair. 

Once in a lifetime academic travel opportunities bring learning to life, including a 7th grade trip to Washington, DC; a Middle School arts excursions (both within Cleveland’s expansive arts community and other non local venues); and of course, the 8th grade Israel trip, a three-week culmination of a student’s Gross Schechter education.