Middle School A-Term 2021: A Study of Houston

During the week of April 12, the Middle School community embarked on A-Term: a study of Houston intended to inform students about the city, our country, and trends seen in the world.  

This year, to commemorate Earth Month, our Middle School team partnered with local organizations, such as the Houston Arboretum, to explore and learn. Here our students share their reflections with us.

View the MS A-Term photo gallery below!

Olivewood Cemetery

By Alexandra W.

For one of the Middle School A-Term activities, we went to Olivewood Cemetery. The Middle School split into two groups. One went on Monday morning and the other on Tuesday morning. Olivewood Cemetery is Houston’s first African American cemetery, established in 1875, only 10 years after General Granger’s official announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation. During our time there, we were given a brief summary of Olivewood Cemetery and the opportunity to clean and refurbish the gravestones. Our A-Term group had an amazing experience learning about what happened to formerly enslaved people after they were emancipated and researching the people buried there.

Houston Arboretum and Nature Center                                                          

By Cooper Y.

The Houston Arboretum is a non-profit organization. When we went there for A-Term, we split into two groups. One group would go to the nature center and explore, the other group would go on a small hike. My group went on the hike first. The lady told us to follow the yellow arrows so we wouldn’t get lost. Before we left, the lady gave us a brochure and a few thermometers. Our main focus of the hike is to learn more about the ecosystem and have a good time doing it. I think we accomplished our goal. Then we switched with the other group. At the Nature Center, we learned more about different animals, which means their habitat, what they eat, are they dangerous, and just more facts about them! We got to see snakes, spiders, bearded dragons, lizards, and many more! The Houston Arboretum is a really fun place to go and you can also learn a lot there! I really hope that we can come back sometime soon!

Houston Museum of Natural Science

By Ben A.

During this year's A-Term, the Middle School students visited the Houston Museum of Natural Science where we learned about nature, history, culture, science, art, and technology. The students visited most of the wondrous exhibits that the museum has to offer, and they were thrilled to broaden their general knowledge. In the Paleontology Hall, students learned about ancient creatures that once roamed our Earth. In the Egypt Hall, students learned about one of the greatest ancient nations to ever live. The Energy Hall taught students about the oil industry, and about the future of energy. And finally, the planetarium taught students about what is beyond our Earth, and even beyond our galaxy.

The Ion

By Shyla J.

On Monday afternoon, our first day of the Middle School A-Term experience, we visited The Ion. The Ion is an unfinished building dedicated to entrepreneurs, innovators, and creative thinkers. The mission of the building is to provide a space where those people can work together to solve the world’s greatest problems. During our tour there, we were guided by the people that were instrumental in the creation, funding, and construction of the building, which was really interesting, since we got to hear about The Ion firsthand from the people who helped fund and think of the idea for it. Overall, the experience was the perfect blend of exploring the space, receiving really interesting and engaging information, and asking questions, which easily (and understandably) made it one of the most popular A-Term destinations.