John Witherspoon Middle School is a middle school in Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...

. It is located across the street from Princeton High School

Princeton High School (New Jersey)

Princeton High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Princeton Regional Schools district, which serves all public school students in the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township...

. There are currently just under 700 students in three grades (6th, 7th, and 8th) with a staff of approximately 70. The four elementary schools (Community Park School, Riverside School, Littlebrook School, and Johnson Park) feed into John Witherspoon.
JW is the only public middle school in Princeton. John Witherspoon

John Witherspoon

John Witherspoon was a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New Jersey. As president of the College of New Jersey , he trained many leaders of the early nation and was the only active clergyman and the only college president to sign the Declaration...

 was a signer of the Declaration of Independence

United States Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...

. JW is the only school in the country named after him.

Facilities

The current two story building was constructed in 1966. Major renovations were done from 2003 to 2005, including the addition of a pool and a new gym. The school consists of a main building and six wings, A through E. The main building houses the main office, the nurse's office, a gym, an auditorium, a media center, and a cafeteria. It also holds the "Commons," an open area in the middle of the school containing a mural by Michael Graves. The six wings each serve a unique purpose. For example, C-wing houses the sixth grade and all its classes. In 2003, the addition of a new gym and swimming pool was added. The rest of the campus includes a small playground, three basketball courts, two baseball fields and a multi-purpose field.

Organization

John Witherspoon splits each grade into two Houses, groups of approximately 120 students. Sixth graders are in either House 1 or 2, 3 and 4 for seventh, and 5 and 6 for eighth. Houses have five different teachers each (Math, Science, English, Social Studies or Civics

Civics

Civics is the study of rights and duties of citizenship. In other words, it is the study of government with attention to the role of citizens ― as opposed to external factors ― in the operation and oversight of government....

, and Foreign Language), and every student has classes with only children from their house except in their Foreign Language (French or Spanish), Health, Physical Education, Support Classes, Drama, Theatre Arts, Crossings (7th grade only) Peer to Peer and TCS leaders (8th grade only) and music classes: Choir, Orchestra, or Band.

Schedule

School is held from 8:25 am until 2:55 pm. The school day is split into eight periods. Five academic classes, two EP's (Exploratory Programs: Health, Art, Tech Prep, Gym etc.) homeroom and lunch (homeroom is not one of the 8 periods). Each period is fifty minutes with about five minutes passing time (depending on the teacher). Throughout the year an extra "activity period" will be added between third and fourth period for the performing arts classes (band, choir, orchestra, drama) to practice for upcoming performances. Students who are not in these classes remain in their homerooms and use the period as a study hall.

Sports

JWMS participates in sports with other schools in nearby districts such as Grover

Thomas Grover Middle School

Thomas R. Grover Middle School is located in Princeton Junction in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, and serves grades six through eight. Grover's mascot is a jaguar, and its students are known as 'Jags'...

 and Cranbury

Cranbury School

Cranbury School is a public PreK-8 school located in and serving Cranbury Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. It is the sole school operated by the Cranbury Township Board of Education, a school district....

. In the fall, sports are Soccer, Cross Country

Cross country running

Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

 and Field Hockey

Field hockey

Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...

. Tennis club plays matches and games internally.. During the winter, Basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, Intramural Basketball, Wrestling

Wrestling

Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...

 and Swimming

Swimming (sport)

Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

 are offered. During the spring, Baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, Softball

Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

, Track and Field

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

, and Lacrosse

Lacrosse

Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...

 are played. The girls' field hockey "A" team of the 2010-2011 school year was undefeated.

English

All three grades of English are literature based with topics in grammar, writing vocabulary and speaking. They all use different versions of the Holt's Handbook 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class. sixth readings include Alice in Wonderland, Dragonwings

Dragonwings

Dragonwings is an award-winning children's novel written by Laurence Yep. The book won the IRA Children's Book Award and is a 1976 Newbery Honor Book...

 and Big Red

Big Red

-Products:* Big Red , a cinnamon-flavored gum made by Wrigley's* Big Red , a brand of citrus-flavored cream soda* Honda produces a Utility terrain vehicle called Big Red.-Media:* Big Red , a book featuring the crew of the USS Nebraska...

 among others. seventh grade reads To Kill A Mocking Bird, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is an 1876 novel about a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. The story is set in the Town of "St...

 and many short stories. The House on Mango Street

The House on Mango Street

The House on Mango Street is a coming-of-age novel by Mexican-American writer Sandra Cisneros, published in 1984. It deals with a young Latina girl, Esperanza Cordero, growing up in Chicago with Chicanos and Puerto Ricans. Esperanza is determined to "say goodbye" to her impoverished Latino...

, A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace is a novel by John Knowles. Based on his earlier short story "Phineas", it was Knowles' first published novel and became his best-known work.-Plot summary:...

 and Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...

 are read by the eighth grade.

Math

The regular math class uses the Glencoe Impact Mathematics books, courses one, two and three. The Accelerated math class uses the Pre-Algebra, Algebra One and Algebra Two books, also by Glencoe.

Science

All three years of science are described as "multi-text/multi-recources" programs. Sixth grade is focused mainly on Basic human biology including cells, genetics and microbiology. Other units include the metric system and basic chemistry. The year ends with an environmental science trip. Seventh grade is focused on astronomy, earth science, weather, climate and oceanography. Eighth grade repeats and goes into more depth of the metirc system and then does chemistry and physics. The physics unit is largely gravity and magnetism.