BCD | Private IB Middle School in Boulder CO

Livi Gray’s Capstone featured in Boulder Lifestyle magazine

Livi Gray's (Class of 2020) powerful Capstone project, Faces of America, was featured in the August issue of Boulder Lifestyle magazine. We are very proud of the work she did both in her artistry and in using her voice. Great job, Livi!

Click here to see the full article.

BCD Students Featured in Inspiring Project on Change Makers

We are so proud of the 4 BCD alumni featured in this video project by the Wunder Collective (headed by BCD alumna Kristian Moley) about inspiring, young change makers. Sydney, Ruthie, Reese, and Elizabeth share their 8th grade Capstone projects and their passions. Well done, Bulldogs!

Good citizenship is the most important lesson Boulder Country Day teaches because good citizens become great leaders. This year, I had the chance to interview four graduating 8th Graders, all of whom will wow us one day. They will end their BCD careers this week presenting their capstone projects which focus on community service. In the midst of a pandemic, when self-management becomes mandatory and expectations become lax, these four students maintained their commitment. They have taken the opportunity to do good despite having several doors close in their face including the one that connects them with the world.

I hope you watch and consider their stories. I hope you’re inspired. I hope you know the future is bright. And I hope you make a choice to do more good, if for no other reason than because it is such an easy one to make.

- Kristian Moley
https://www.wunder.film/capstone

Artificial Biceps in 7th Grade Science

Some fabulous work is being done in Ms. Fellows 7th grade science class. Student are working on a unit about human body systems and were assigned a lab specifically on the skeletal and muscular system. Students were learning about flexor and extensor muscles. They read an article about a robot called a human skeleton that is used in companies to help humans to prevent muscle fatigue. They had to design their own contraption to help the bicep muscle heal if it had a sports injury (hence artificial bicep).

Click here for the for lab template provided to students.

Click here for the article on the exoskeleton designed by Lockheed Martin.

Here are some examples of what students submitted.

BCD Athletic Director attends 2020 Inclusive Sport Summit hosted by the CU

On February 26th, our Athletic Director and CU Women's Basketball alumna, Randie Wirt, attended the 2020 Inclusive Sport Summit hosted by the CU athletic department. What a great opportunity for both Coach Wirt and our school to benefit from such a wonderful institution right on our doorstep.

Learn more about CU's Inclusive Sport Summit.

Learn more about BCD's Athletics.

The Compliment Wall

We love this! In 8^th grade health class student did something called The Compliment Project. Students take turns sitting with their backs to the whiteboard while their classmates write compliments about them. The students are studying social-emotional health and learning how we thrive when we feel a sense of love and belonging. This is the third year this activity has been done in this class and the kids LOVE it. They love to write as much as receive the compliments. They are often overwhelmed with emotions when they read what their classmates say.

More on BCD's Middle School program.

BCD Students Attend Civics Day in Denver

A group of BCD 7th and 8th graders were invited to participate in the ACE Scholarship School Choice Civics Day. They had the opportunity to sit on the House floor while they were in session, tour the Capitol building, meet the Representative for Boulder County, Edie Hooton, and have a quick meeting with Governor Jared Polis. BCD was one of six schools who had the opportunity to participate.

The Benefits of BCD's Middle Years IB Program (MYP)

Boulder Country Day's Middle School is an authorized International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (MYP).

Model UN supports the development of globally minded citizens

On January 30th, Boulder Country Day middle school students participated in the annual Model United Nations exercise. In teams, students represented a member country by researching it, writing resolutions on current issues it faces, and defending those resolutions at a gathering called the MUN General Assembly. Through this process, students learned about international relations, developed empathy, and gained a better understanding of how issues across the world affect us all. As an authorized IB Middle Years Program (MYP), BCD uses this curricular enhancement to support the IB goal of developing globally minded students.

‘It helps you to be more aware of the world around you so that you know more than just what’s happening the U.S. - you know about the entire world. It also teaches you that history effects everything and it’s not just something you learn because you have to.’

- BCD 8th grader

More on BCD's Middle School

More on the IB program

Middle School Seminar

During the week of January 7th – 10^th, all BCD middle school students participated in the BCD Seminar. The BCD Seminar is modeled after the Aspen Institute Seminar and is intended as an opportunity for BCD students to stretch their intellectual thinking. With over 60 years of experience, the Aspen Institute Seminar is designed to help people of all ages and walks of life to reflect upon the most important questions facing us as human beings and as leaders.

Each night, BCD students were assigned texts by various authors, both ancient (including Aristotle) and current (including J.K. Rowling). The texts were used to prompt students to think about complex human issues such as: Is goodness something that is in humans or is it something that needs to be taught and learned? Is it something we as humans are born with or must choose to act on? In-school discussion were then led by guest moderators, Todd Breyfogle, Director of Seminars for the Aspen Institute, and Allyson Sudbourough, Teacher Effectiveness Coach for Denver Public Schools.

As you can see, the texts present some really big concepts. Students were advised that while the texts are difficult, to not be discouraged because Seminar is intended to be a laboratory in which—together—they will try to figure out what the texts say and mean, both on their own terms and for us as humans today. They were also reminded that seminar discussions thrive on questions. So, very often it is the seemingly simplest questions that can provoke the most meaningful discussions.

Students began the seminar by examining the painting of “Icarus” who is seen plunging into the water after his wings have melted. The bystanders seem unfazed by Icarus’ fall and do not appear to be making any effort to rescue him. An open discussion of human nature then began on whether or not Icarus should be saved. The conversations remained lively from there on out.

Moderator Todd Breyfogle shared that his discussion of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (on friendship) with the BCD 7th grade students was one of the best he had ever had, with students OR adults! This is quite a compliment coming from the Director of Seminars at the Aspen Institute. There seemed to be a sense of pride in our students as they realized they could read, understand, and discuss Aristotle. Another thing our moderators and Mr. Welch noticed was how BCD students appreciated the opportunity to discuss big topics that do not necessarily have a right or wrong answer are not designed to lead to any particular conclusion, by rather serves to stretch themselves intellectually and challenge them personally.

“BCD students are remarkably capable. They devoured a dense selection from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and were ready to engage in conversation, armed with questions and opinions. It was one of the best conversations I’ve had on Aristotle’s understanding of friendship, whether with adults or younger people.”

–Todd Breyfogle, PhD, Managing Director, Seminars, The Aspen Institute

At the end of the week, students created personal mission statements or wrote letters to their future selves about some of the important things they had learned about themselves from the process.

We hope the seminar experience of deep learning through community discussion will remain a meaningful touchstone for these students for many years to come. We would also like to extend special thanks to alumni parent former board member, Jay Orris of Peak to Peak Management, for bringing this opportunity to BCD many years ago and for his ongoing support of the program.

Personal experience statement by Mills, 7^th grade.

I thought the Middle School Seminar would be an interesting way to learn about morals and ethics, but also learn about my classmates’ opinions and ideology. I ended up learning those things in addition to learning about human inclinations when someone is in trouble. It was interesting to hear what my classmates thought about whether humans are by nature good or bad. We read a very moving autobiographical piece by George Orwell, called “Shooting an Elephant”. It ignited an hour-long conversation about whether shooting the elephant in the story was morally right, even if Orwell feared for his life if he didn’t kill the elephant. We also discussed a painting portraying Icarus flailing and drowning in the Aegean Sea, as onlookers refused to help. This initiated a conversation about whether humans are born good or bad, or whether it’s a learned behavior. I found this conversation interesting and was intrigued by my classmates’ thoughts.

I was positively impacted by the experience of sharing our thoughts. The Middle School Seminar was inspiring and gave me lasting insights into my peers, human nature, history and the world as a whole.

Texted used in 2020 BCD Seminar

6th grade: Risk and Reflection

Session 1: What is our nature?

Intro, Painting (Icarus)
Plato, “Ring of Gyges” (shortened version)

Session 2: What is success?

Ayyappa Paniker, "Horse Play" (Poem)
Sandra Cisneros “Eleven”

Session 3: What is resilience?

J.K. Rowling "The Fringe Benefits of Failure"
“An Unlucky Man?” A Tale from Nigeria

7th grade: Commitment and Community

Session 1: What is our nature?

Intro, Painting (Icarus)
Mencius, On Human Nature (short excerpt)

Session 2: What do we commit to?

“Story of Fire” A Sufi Tale
George Orwell “Shooting an Elephant”

Session 3: How do we live together?

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (on Friendship)
Luther Standing Bear, “Indian Wisdom”

8th grade: Courage and Purpose

Session 1: What is our nature?

Intro, Painting (Icarus)
Chuang Tzu, “Woodcarver”

Session 2: What gives us Purpose?

“Seneca: On the Shortness of Life” Translated by John W. Basore
Chimamanda Adichie, “Danger of a Single Story”

Session 3: What gives us Courage?

“The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” Ursula K. Le Guin
Constantine P. Cavafy, “Ithaca” (poem)

Climbing walls at Outdoor Ed...and beyond

When I was walking through the woods during our Outdoor Ed trip, I could hear the indistinct shouts that Middle Schoolers make when they are outside and allowed to use "outside voices". I was heading towards the climbing wall, a triangular pyramid 25 feet in the air. This climbing wall was one of the many activities available for our Middle School students at Outdoor Education at the foot of the Rocky Mountain National forest. Students also had the opportunity to do other activities, including archery, mountain formation, and team building activities.

Time is of the Essence: A Parent's Perspective on Preschool through 8th Grade

“I wish I had been here from the beginning”, said my older son half-way through 7^th grade at BCD a couple of years ago. When I asked him why, he gave me several reasons: The teachers, the students, the community, the opportunities to explore new interest areas, the leadership opportunities, the service projects, the trips, and last but not least “I am finally getting how to balance academics and the rest of my interests- and I don’t have to choose one or the other- I can just be me”. I liked his answers and with our second son saying to me just the other day that he too wishes he had been at BCD “for more time than I will have here in middle school”, I decided to see how much their comments may be more than a personal story. As a trained education researcher, looking further, deeper and more closely is what I am passionate about; -and when personal experience matches with solid data, I am calling that a “Great Day!”

Why Choose a PS - 8th Grade School

Boulder Country Day has intentionally chosen to focus on preschool through eighth grade and we believe it is among our greatest assets. We firmly believe that a PS-8 school environment offers distinct advantages during the most critical years of a child’s intellectual, social, and emotional development.

The Aspen Institute Executive Seminar

Thanks to the generosity of Christy and Jay Orris and their commitment to faculty professional development, I recently had the opportunity to attend the Aspen Institute Executive Seminar in Aspen, CO.

Boulder Country Day School teams with I Have a Dream Foundation to compete in First Lego League competition on November 18th

Through an anonymous Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity grant by a BCD parent, Boulder Country Day School and I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County (IHAD) have partnered to form a combined First Lego League® (FLL) team. The grant funds transportation and course expenses for participating IHAD students and brings together students, technology, and BCD’s goal of inspiring students to reach their full potential.

Alumnus' artwork draws financial aid donation

This year's Gala was a huge success. Thank you to all who participated!

BCD Students Attend LEAD Conference in Chicago

Students from the middle school student council joined thousands of other student leaders at a Leadership Experience and Development (LEAD) Conference in Chicago, IL on February 10th – 12th.

Middle School to livestream CU Conference of World Affairs

BCD middle school students will be live streaming several sessions from this year’s CU annual Conference on World Affairs.

Middle School Magic

If our Preschool and Elementary school divisions have been described by some as “magical”, then I can only imagine our middle school can be described as transformational.

8th Grade Capstone Celebration

As part of BCD’s Middle School curriculum, 8th grade students complete a Capstone Project. Capstone Projects are a yearlong experience that encourages students to dive deeply into a subject of personal passion. This experience develops in-depth learning in the presence of an experienced mentor. 8th grade Capstone projects are a culmination of students' BCD experience bringing together the key elements of passion, innovation, and service. It is always exciting to see the range of interests and directions the students take. Student projects this year range from building ovens in Nicaragua, to designing head bands for a cure, to piloting a plane, to stage fighting. On April 22nd, our 8th grade students finished the hard work they have put into their Capstone projects as they presented their work to their families and mentors. Well done, Bulldogs.

To see a complete list of this year's projects, click here.

More on BCD's Middle School curriculum.

BCD's homepage.

Call of the Wild

In 7th grade we have introduced our novel study of The Call of the Wild by Jack London. Students are looking at narrative perspective as we read. By looking at point of view, students gain a greater understanding of plot details that are in (and out) of the story. By examining a certain scene from a different character’s perspective, students see characters in a new light, perhaps gaining empathy or a better understanding a character’s motives. Finally, by analyzing why the story is told from a dog’s point of view, students learn about the Klondike Gold Rush and human behavior from a unique perspective. How different the story would be if told from the perspective of one of the humans!