Danielle Rauch, Math Teacher

Middle school was an.. Interesting time. My middle school was grade six through eight. In sixth grade I was still sort of figuring out the school. It was my first year where I had to switch teachers for every class, just like we do at Poly, so that was a learning experience.

Seventh grade was… the craziest year for me because that was my first year being in advanced math. It was a rather big learning curve for me because it was my first year not getting the best grades. I had to learn how to adapt and how to figure out new study habits. I also made a lot of close friends, which was a good part of that year.

Eighth grade was really fun. It felt like you got to be a leader and an example for the younger grades. Overall, I really enjoyed middle school.

Annie Pulsipher, History Teacher

I was really moody in middle school. I was definitely…mad about popular cliques and stuff so I would let people know it. It was… fine. I got really good grades, but I was also kind of a jerk to everyone. Middle school was emotional, obnoxious, and creative. I did some cool art stuff in middle school. I discovered my love for writing in middle school, as well.

Jared Winston, Director of Student Life

When I was in middle school, we were all going through a lot of changes. Middle school was tricky. Middle school is a time of transition for every single person in a community. Kids in my middle school would try on different “hats” to figure out who and what they were. They would switch friend groups or they would be forced out of friend groups. Some middle schoolers weren’t nice to each other, in my experience. They said mean things to each other.

That said, middle school was also really fun. How could it not be? We were young, curious, interested, and you are trying all these things to figure out what your life is going to be like and in which direction it’s going to be. Going back to the part about kids being mean — I am a firm believer that to get it wrong, you have to get it right.

Lee Marcus, English Teacher

Middle school life was full of ups and downs, for me. I was really into doing well in school and trying out all kinds of different activities. Middle school was fun, awkward, and I had to take on a lot of responsibilities. My mom started working full-time, so I had a lot more responsibility. I had to get myself home, take the dog out, and do all that stuff.