Programming

“Have I not commanded you? BE STRONG and COURAGEOUS. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your GOD will be with you WHEREVER YOU GO.” – Joshua 1:9

St. Marcus takes a NO EXCUSES, WHATEVER IT TAKES outlook on learning and life and carries this approach through its academics with high expectations and advanced curriculum. Middle school students experience project and experience-based learning in the classroom and through partnerships with organizations like the Urban Ecology Center and Discovery World. Discover America allows students to experience our vast nation through college visits, local field trips and end of year travel. Additionally, through a partnership with Wisconsin Lutheran High School’s music department, St. Marcus scholars can take band lessons and compete at Solo and Ensemble competitions.

Every school day includes the core classes of reading and math, along with Word of God, science, writing, and social studies/history, and chapel once a week. St. Marcus scholars work with curriculum designed for the grade level above their current grade, and with a SmartBoard in every classroom and access to Chromebooks and laptops, they are set up for success beyond St. Marcus. They also partner with younger students in areas like reading and technology to share their knowledge, learn by teaching, and serve as leaders.

Middle school students select electives that meet four times per week in the afternoons. These special classes give them the opportunity to spend more time with challenging academics or to explore other areas of learning. Just a few of the options include:

• Choir: leads school and Sunday worship and fosters a love for praise and song
• Drumline and Color Guard: perform at sporting events and other special functions
• Journalism: produces the Scholar’s Gazette, a publication written “by students for students”

St. Marcus middle school also celebrates student achievement and builds a positive culture with traditions like Fun Friday (once a week) and Zest Fest (once a month).

The daily schedule for a typical middle school student might look like this:

Be Strong!

By Maltbie Davenport Babcock

Be Strong!
We are not here to play, to dream, to drift;
We have hard work to do and loads to lift;
Shun not the struggle – face it; ‘tis God’s gift.

Be Strong!
Say not, “The days are evil. Who’s to blame?”
And fold the hands and acquiesce – oh shame!
Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God’s name.

Be Strong!
It matters not how deep entrenched the wrong,
How hard the battle goes, the day how long;
Faint not – fight on! Tomorrow comes the song.

This exemplifies the challenges and rewards of a St. Marcus education and is memorized by all students in grades K-8 and starts off morning assemblies.