Focus on Finance: Liberty and Lincoln Middle Schools

A Message from Dr. Lynda C. Andre, Superintendent

EDWARDSVILLE - Today we will take a tour of District 7’s two middle schools – Lincoln and Liberty, which serve a combined student population of more than 1700 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students from across the communities within the District’s 185 square mile boundaries.

District 7’s middle schools offer identical academic and extracurricular programming to its students and have comparable facilities in the areas of technology, media centers, academic and social support services, and special education. Teachers all deliver Board-approved curricula, and teachers receive identical professional development on best instructional practices within the subjects they are assigned to teach.

Let’s begin with a typical school day in District 7 middle schools.

All students receive daily instruction in the core subject areas of English/language arts, mathematics, social science, science, and physical education/health. Each period is 52-minutes in length. All curricula offered have been developed as a part of District 7’s K-12 curriculum study process which provides continuity and consistency of instruction from elementary school through high school.

Students also receive exposure to Spanish, art, general music, computers, and agriculture through exploratory classes that are offered on quarterly rotations throughout a student’s middle school years.

Middle school students also have a daily activity period. This 35-minute block of time allows students to participate in extra tutoring or academic support from their teachers. Alternatively, students enrolled in band, orchestra, and/or chorus use the activity period to receive daily practice and instruction from one of the District’s band, orchestra, and vocal music teachers. Approximately one-third of middle school students are enrolled in one or more of these fine and performing arts classes.

Students who are eligible for additional math and reading instruction receive instruction from teachers through the middle level RtI (Response to Intervention) program. For students with learning disabilities, the middle level offers a continuum of educational services from regular education classroom support, self- contained instructional math and reading classes, and specialized programming through the Functional Life Skills and CASTLE programs.

In order to deliver instructional and support services, 171 employees are assigned to the middle level: 105 teachers and certified staff and 66 classified and exempt staff, including School Resource Officers from the Edwardsville Police Department.

Lincoln and Liberty each have 55 classrooms, five computer labs, and a media center, as well as two gyms that serve physical education and athletics. Each school also has an auditorium that serves as a site for the many concerts, plays, and shows offered to the community each year by students in band, orchestra, chorus, Show Choir, and Act I.

After school, students at Lincoln and Liberty Middle Schools have a wide range of extracurricular athletics; fine arts; and academic, social, and community service clubs from which to choose.

Students have opportunities to participate in interscholastic sports such as football, cross country, field hockey, softball, baseball, cheerleading, girls basketball, boys basketball, girls volleyball, boys volleyball, wrestling, boys track, and girls track, as well as intramural bowling, tennis, dance, flag football, and golf.

Students may also audition for Act I Drama Club and Show Choir, as well as participate in Art Club, Botball, Ecology Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, E-Club, Geography Bee, Journalism Club, Math Team, Model UN, Scholar Bowl, Science & Engineering Research Challenge (Science Fair), Spelling Bee, Yearbook, and Young Authors. Many students also participate in community service-based organizations like FIT (Friends in Touch) and G-O.

Special activities occur throughout the year to assist middle level students in connecting with new friends. Events such as Sixth Grade Welcome Night, the New Student Welcome, the Panther/Wildcat Welcome and Celebrate Sober and Spring Fling offer many safe and student-centered ways for students to meet with other students, have fun, and enjoy a supervised social event. Parent volunteers assist staff in developing and supervising these social events, and parents also play a key role in booster clubs by providing much needed fundraising events and social events for students.

Focus on Finance will resume on Monday, July 11.

Thank you for your support of the Edwardsville School District.

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