Our Middle School Campus:

No matter what window you look out, you’ll see students outside getting fresh air. They’re on the sport court, in the Gaga pit, climbing trees, reading on steps, playing ping pong, and working on assignments under trees. By design, students get a burst of fresh air after every class thanks to covered porches (not indoor hallways) as they pass from one class to the next. During breaks and lunch, they are outside again and can choose from a wide range of spaces to explore. Teachers take advantage of our wide campus for classes and Electives, too.

There are many different ways to interact with the campus each week, giving students the chance to truly inhabit the surrounding landscape and connect to the environment, as well as to the seasons. As they build connections with classmates and teachers in these different spaces, students naturally build a sense of belonging to the places where those relationships grow. Place is therefore an important feature of the Hyla experience and it’s essential to the community we build together. During lunches and breaks last week, students readily shared why they chose their spots, explained why they don’t always go to the same place, and offered why they tried out a new area. In its own way, the natural environment is full of invitations to explore, settle in, and try something new. Here are a few scenes of students doing all of that last week.