At Concord Middle School, we believe that children carry with them natural curiosity and unique insights. All aspects of the school-from the way that students receive their schedules to the way that we celebrate their graduation to high school-strive to empower, challenge and nurture them. Ultimately, our students leave the school independent and empathetic. They have the self-confidence, the resourcefulness and the skills to solve problems and to express their own opinions clearly and powerfully. At the same time, students learn how to empathize with the challenges, dreams, and needs of other people.

Our students achieve academic excellence and good citizenship because administrators and teachers develop trusting relationships that enable them to engage deeply with students and with each other. In sixth grade, we take our students camping in New Hampshire so that they see their teachers and their classmates as people who can support them as they take risks. We culminate our study of the "just society" in eighth grade by taking the students to Washington, DC, where they see firsthand the challenges of a dynamic democracy. Our teachers also direct a rich after-school program that includes drama, music, interscholastic sports and intramural sports. Our counselors, administrators, and teachers guide students to take full advantage of the opportunities the school offers and to discover their own passions.

Concord Middle School works closely with its parents to knit together the students' school- and home-life to create a community where children can take risks safely. Organizations like the Concord Parent/Teacher's Group, the Concord-Carlisle Parents' Initiative, and the Center for Parents and Teachers have created parenting study groups, a program that ensures proper supervision at out-of-school social events, and student-parent dialogue nights.

Ultimately, our goal is to prepare Concord Middle School students to be empathetic and competent adults. At CMS, administrators and teachers have high expectations for student achievement and behavior, engage students in the pleasures of intellectual pursuit, and carefully nurture their emotional development. As a result, we believe that our students leave CMS able to succeed on their own.

Sincerely,

Arthur Unobskey, Principal
Concord Middle School