As a person who spent 21 years at the Ipswich Middle School, first as a teacher and then as assistant principal, I would like to add a perspective on the two schools conversation that has not yet been addressed.
If we move to having just one elementary instead of the two we now have, we remove an important opportunity for our children to learn how to navigate new relationships before heading off to college or the military or the work world.
In our small town, the only time students have this chance to meet new students, adjust to new group dynamics, and learn how to adapt to new people is when the two groups of kids arrive at the middle school from our two elementary schools.
If we remove the privilege of learning how to do this, we do our kids a great disservice.
Kids need to have this experience while they are still living at home, still surrounded by family and by some familiar people.
There are important life skills and life lessons learned from this coming together and it is unwise to abandon this.
I have always supported our students and continue to do so, therefore I will vote “NO” for one school.
Meredith Joss,
High Street
Thanks, Meredith. I agree that it helpful for 6th graders to be able to have the opportunity to get feedback from their family at an age when they are still more likely to openly seek it.