The mission of Massanutten Military Academy is to prepare cadets for success by delivering structure and a superior educational experience. Cadets are exposed to this mission every day through our environment that encourages the development of young cadets into leaders. Through collaboration, critical thinking, and innovation, we are able to use assets of our school to create tomorrow’s leaders. This process begins the moment a cadet walks on campus – even if that means in middle school. To provide our middle school cadets with the knowledge and assistance to be successful in their academic careers, three years ago MMA added a middle school leadership program as part of our required curriculum.
Leadership through JROTC
All cadets in grades 6-8 participate in a leadership program that is aligned with the high school JRTOC program. Leadership teaches students about citizenship and instills the skills required to become future leaders. MMA is currently in the third year of a well-established Middle School Leadership program. This program was designed by the developers of the Army JROTC program to serve as a precursor to JRTOC in high school and later on in their careers post graduate. Parts of the JROTC creed include: “I am the future of the United States of America.” Along with “I will always practice good citizenship and patriotism” and “I do not lie, cheat, or steal and will always be accountable for my actions and deeds.” These testaments condition cadets from a young age to be upstanding citizens.
Leadership through Innovative Education
A middle school leadership program was added as part of our required curriculum to further instill MMA’s primary principles. Our core middle school curriculum focuses on reading, writing, history, science, and mathematics with art, music, and STEM being offered as electives.
An exciting requirement for all MMA cadets is STEM. These courses begin in middle school and focus on biomedical, computer applications, and robotics. This gives cadets a hands-on opportunity to experience all aspects of a STEM education. Additionally, all middle school cadets take a foreign language class each year and may even be able to earn high school foreign language credits in grades 6-8. Students may also have opportunities to take high school level mathematics.
Leadership through Structure
Our smaller class sizes of 12 students or less allow students to be actively involved in their classes each and everyday. There is no falling behind or slipping through the cracks. Many classes work collectively and collaboratively to ensure everyone is understanding and comprehending material to move on together. Middle school cadets also engage in many of the same activities as high school cadets such as squad jobs, drill, and inspections.
By holding our middle school cadets to the same standards as we would our high school cadets, we are priming them to be prepared and successful in their later academic and professional endeavors. These students will thrive in their high school years at MMA because they are familiar with and immersed in the MMA culture and activities. As a parent of a middle school cadet at MMA, you can hold your child accountable by having 24-hour access to their grades online.
To learn more about middle school at MMA and how it can benefit your child, please visit: https://www.militaryschool.com/contact-mma/ or email [email protected]. Our admissions team is eager to assist in all aspects of inquiry, application and enrollment.