Middle schools
| William Diamond Middle School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
99 Hancock St. , , 02420 | |
| Coordinates | 42°27′49.47″N 71°13′41.73″W / 42.4637417°N 71.2282583°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| School district | Lexington Public Schools |
| NCES District ID | 2506840[8] |
| Superintendent | Julie Hackett |
| NCES School ID | 250684002552[9] |
| Principal | Marlon Davis Bayard Klimasmith (Assistant Principal) Elizabeth Sharp (Assistant Principal) |
| Faculty | 69.00 (on full-time equivalent (FTE) basis) |
| Grades | 6-8 |
| Enrollment | 742 |
| • Grade 6 | 252 |
| • Grade 7 | 262 |
| • Grade 8 | 228 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 10.75 |
| Campus type | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Blue & Gold |
| Feeder schools | Joseph Estabrook Elementary School Fiske Elementary School Maria Hastings Elementary School |
| Feeder to | Lexington High School (Massachusetts) |
| Website | www |
| Jonas Clarke Middle School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
17 Stedman Rd. , , 02421 | |
| Coordinates | 42°25′47.62″N 71°13′45.65″W / 42.4298944°N 71.2293472°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| School district | Lexington Public Schools |
| NCES District ID | 2506840[10] |
| Superintendent | Julie Hackett |
| NCES School ID | 250684002551[11] |
| Principal | Dane Despres[12] Jonathan Wettstone (assistant principal) Mary Barry-Ng (assistant principal) |
| Faculty | 72.37 (on full-time equivalent (FTE) basis) |
| Grades | 6-8 |
| Enrollment | 764 |
| • Grade 6 | 260 |
| • Grade 7 | 262 |
| • Grade 8 | 242 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 10.56 |
| Campus type | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Blue & Gold |
| Feeder schools | Bowman Elementary School Bridge Elementary School Harrington Elementary School |
| Feeder to | Lexington High School (Massachusetts) |
| Website | www |
Lexington's two public middle schools - William Diamond MS and Jonas Clarke MS, commonly referred to as "Diamond" and "Clarke," respectively - serve students between 6th and 8th grade. Students at Diamond are generally fed in through Estabrook, Fiske, and Hastings, and students at Clarke are generally fed in through Bowman, Bridge, and Harrington.
Like many middle schools, both Diamond and Clarke operate in an academic team system, in which each grade is broken down into smaller groups of common teachers and students. Each of the grades in both schools are divided into three teams, with one exception. Diamond and Clarke have built a cross-town rivalry bridging academics and athletics.
Academics
Both Diamond and Clarke have been among the top schools in MCAS testing.[13]
Academically, both schools offer a comparable curriculum comprising several core subjects in addition to a wide range of electives. Students are required to take courses in math, science, English, and social studies, each of which follows its own track.
In math, students are required to take courses ranging up to algebra, with placement and level being determined individually. In science, students are required to take courses in earth science, life science, and chemistry and physics.
In social studies, students are required to take courses focusing on ancient civilizations, world geography, and U.S. history in 6th, 7th and 8th grades respectively. In foreign languages, students have the option to take a sequence of courses in French, Spanish, or Mandarin Chinese. The Mandarin Language program is ranked one of the best Mandarin Language programs in the country[citation needed], and the school and Mandarin teachers have received many awards[citation needed], such as the Confucius Institute Award and various cash and technological prizes from the Chinese Government. Top students in Spanish have the opportunity to visit Costa Rica, or in past and recent years, Spain, as part of a language and culture immersion trip abroad. Similarly, top students in French have the opportunity to visit Quebec City, and top students in Mandarin have the opportunity to visit Beijing, Jinhua, and Shanghai, China.
Students in both schools have the additional opportunity to participate in their respective school's orchestra, band, or chorus.
Sports
Both schools field varsity teams in many sports, including cross-country running, soccer, basketball, track, field hockey, baseball, and softball.[14]
Extracurricular activities
Led by coaches Sarah Doonan at Diamond and Joshua Frost at Clarke, Lexington's middle school math teams are renowned for their successes and mutual rivalry in competitions such as MathCounts, the NEML, the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC), and in the Intermediate Math League of Eastern Massachusetts (IMLEM). Clarke's current run of seven consecutive IMLEM championships was immediately preceded by nine consecutive championships by Diamond. Two Lexington natives have won the Mathcounts national championship: Jonathan L. Weinstein in 1991 and Alec Sun in 2013. William Diamond Middle School has also won many second and third place titles at the Science Olympiads over the past few years.[15]
Both schools have a plethora of other clubs and teams.
William Diamond Middle School
The school is named after William Diamond, the 16-year-old drummer for the Lexington Minutemen during the Battle of Lexington and Concord. The current principal at Diamond is Marlon Davis, and the assistant principals are Bayard Klimasmith and Elizabeth Sharp.
The current names of the 6th grade teams are Innovator, Pathfinder, Adventurer, and Discoverer. The 7th Grade Teams are named Determination, Fortitude, Resilience, and Tenacity. the 8th grade teams are named Alliance, Fusion, Harmony, and Unity.
Along with many other extra-curricular activities, Diamond has a school newspaper, called the "Diamond Press",(previously known as the Diamond Dispatch) which is run by the students and a 6th grade English teacher. In addition, a fall play and musical are staged every year in the fall and winter respectively. Both productions are collaborated upon by the drama and technical departments, with the addition of the chorus department for the musical. Students have the option of auditioning for the cast or applying for the stage crew. Although Diamond does not have a formal student-run government, the Student Council determines spirit days, fundraisers, and other matters.
Many of the 7th and 8th grade French and Spanish classes compete in the National French Exam and National Spanish Exam, respectively.[16]
Jonas Clarke Middle School
The school is named after the local pastor Jonas Clarke, who was present at the standoff at Lexington Green shortly before the shots that started the Revolutionary War. The current principal at Clarke is Dane Despres,[12] and the assistant principals are Mary Barry-Ng and Jonathan Wettstone.[12] The school mascot is Jonas Bark the Bulldog.
Jonas Clarke Middle School has been rated one of the top schools in the United States,[citation needed] and received the High-Performing National Blue Ribbon Award in 2013.[17]
The 6th grade teams are named Columbia, Atlantis, Quest, and Voyager; the 7th grade teams are named Enterprise (legacy), Endeavor, Adventurer, and Explorer; and the 8th grade teams are named Apollo, Artemis, Discovery, and Curiosity.
The S.G.A. (student government association) is the student-run government of Clarke.
Clarke also has a school newspaper, called the "Clarke Barker", which is also run by the students and a 6th grade English teacher. Clarke's other extra-curricular vary in type, however most activities are either academic, artistic or athletic. New activities are created each year by the request of the students, if there is a faculty or parent coordinator.
