On March 15, students from the Marlboro Middle School received a half day of student development. For years, teachers and staff have had Professional Development Days. Debra Clinton, Principal of the Marlboro Middle School, felt that students could also benefit from this type of development. Together with Demian Stanmyer, the Assistant Principal, and her staff, she set up a day where students would be educated on different topics. Each student was placed in three, fifty-minute sessions hosted by their teachers and community members. This is the third year that the Marlboro Middle School hosted this special event.

Some of the sessions that were offered were as follows: Intro to Spanish, Knitting, Yoga, How to Play Chess, Doodle for Google, Transitioning to the High School, Team Building Exercises, How to Make Taco Salad, STEM Challenges, Sports Trivia, Transformative Storytelling for Writers, Math and Art Games, Living in Japan, and Slime Science. The students were excited to participate in “Student Development Day.” As one walked from room to room, they could see students collaborating and discussing their new knowledge. This made for a very successful day for both the staff and the students.

Jack Schlagler, an eighth grade student, said, “I really liked student development day. It was really interesting to learn about some of the clubs and classes that are available in the high school.” Sixth graders Jason Velez and Joseph Crane shared,“I enjoyed interacting with people that I did not know, it was a really enjoyable day!” Nicco Murley, a 7th grade student was happy to say, “ I really liked the Living in Japan workshop. I love anime and always wanted to know about Japan and Miss Wolfert did an amazing job at the workshop. I loved tasting the different foods, practicing using chopsticks and learning about their culture. My friends and I loved the workshops and had a really great day!”

Mrs. Clinton and the faculty and staff hope to continue this tradition next year.