Middle School

Regarding the Solo Cup factory zoning ("No 'courtesy' for Wegmans," May 27), why is no one talking about using the facility for a new middle school in the northwestern part of the county? Franklin Middle School has 1,292 students, Deer Park Middle has 1,235 students and Pikesville Middle has 1,017. These enrollment figures are higher than the other county middle schools and having over 1,200 students in a middle school is ludicrous. The best use of this property would be a new middle school so that student enrollment at the aforementioned middle schools could be reduced to reasonable levels.

It's almost time. My baby is going to middle school. A few days ago, he cleaned off the desk in his room and packed away his sports trophies, declaring they were too babyish. He has a new backpack and selected new back-to-school clothes, opting for stylish plaid shirts rather than funky T-shirts. And he has started to sport hair gel. While I've been nagging with him to keep up with his summer reading, he has other things on his mind. Topping the list of his worries about middle school, it seems, are bullies.

After receiving several mailing pieces and listening to Baltimore County Council District 2 candidate Vicki Almond at many public forums, I feel it is time to get the facts out about the lack of need for a new middle school in Owings Mills ("Democrats line up for 2nd District seat," Aug. 16). This is not my opinion, but rather, the facts disseminated by the Baltimore County Department of Education which state: "Based on enrollment projections…The middle schools in this part of the county are under capacity, and the ten year projections do not indicate that more capacity is needed to accommodate middle school students at this time".

The middle school years are the most mystifying time. They enter middle school in the sixth grade as little kids and exit in the eighth grade well on their way to becoming young adults. In the years in between, they try to figure out their own identities, including who their friends will be. What do you do when you don't like the friends your child is hanging around with? I've been wrestling with this question. On the one hand, I think it is impossible to dictate to my son who his friends should and shouldn't be. He'll probably want to do the opposite of what I say anyway.

Jimmy Fallon last night broke out his Donald Trump impression -- and demanded additional documents from President Barack Obama.  Fallon's Trump wants to the president to release:  • His driver's license. ("Has anyone ever seen it?")  • His Starbucks card.  • His Netflix queue ("I've got one and I'm not afraid to let people see it. It's a fantastic, beautiful queue. ")  • His hall passes from middle school.  This would be funny if it wasn't so true -- and that just makes it sad. Trump's harping on Obama to release various documents (from his long-form birth certificate to his college grades)

Since the spring, I have heard about the flap over the absence of middle school recess at Roland Park Elementary/Middle School. Recess is a no-brainer. When I volunteered to work with middle school children there last year, they were bright, alert and well prepared. By the end of our session, they were wiggly and wanting to talk to one another. They were pre-teens. They were not on cell phones; they were not trying to start fights. They were simply adolescent and restless. I am no educator.

In Roland Park, home to one of Baltimore's highest-performing public schools, dozens of parents are at odds with administrators over an academic perk: recess for middle-schoolers. In a dispute that mirrors the nationwide debate over students' participation in physical activity, the parents want sixth- through eighth-grade students to have some relief from Roland Park Elementary/Middle School's rigorous academic regimen of 70-minute classes and restricted social time. They say it's an essential part of their children's education.

The Howard County school system is considering major changes to its middle school class schedule that include discontinuing reading as a stand-alone subject for most students, school officials said. In addition, the school day might be reduced from eight instruction periods to seven 50-minute periods, with physical education classes held every other day. The proposed changes are part of the system's efforts to implement the common core curriculum, adopted by the Maryland State Board of Education last year for math and English language arts.

It seemed at times like a remedial class in vocabulary. More than a dozen rising sixth-graders were attending a middle- school preparation event that highlighted words they will likely hear over and over in the coming years. Words like "locker," "preparation," "bullying," "research projects," "organization" and "peer pressure. " "School is a little bit more challenging this year," said Sarah Russo, teens' instructor at the Howard County library system's Elkridge branch, which hosted "Movin' Up To Middle School" this week.

Baltimore City schools that offer themed curriculums were the top choices of middle school students and their parents this year, the first time they were allowed to select alternatives to their neighborhood schools. According to city school officials, Bluford Drew Jemison STEM Academy West attracted the most students who identified the science, technology, engineering and mathematics academy as their No. 1 choice. "It seemed that the thing that was attractive is whether or not the school offers something that captures the interests and excitement of students," said Jonathan Brice, executive director for student support services.