All About iMiddle

Recently, iMiddle has become the talk of Owensboro Public School’s (OPS) Board of Education. iMiddle is a middle school version of the Owensboro Innovation Academy (OIA) which opened four years ago.  These schools are a part of the district’s innovation programs that use STEM based learning. This new middle school will primarily focus on project based learning and becoming involved in the community. The one thing that differentiates it from OIA is that it does not include other school districts, so it will only be offered to incoming OPS middle schoolers. iMiddle will be located at the Owensboro Middle School South location and renovation will begin this summer. If everything goes as planned the new school should be ready for students by August of the 2019-2020 school year.

As the anticipation grows, there are many students left wondering if this school would be right for them. Students must think about what they like in a school such as the size, way of learning, and what programs they are interested in. iMiddle will be a much smaller school compared to the conventional middle school. They will also offer more hands-on activities with a variety of programs such as debating, coding, technology, robotics, and graphic design. Students will also still be allowed to participate in OPS programs open to middle schoolers. For instance, students can still take classes like band, drama, dance, and can participate in clubs and athletics.

The opinions of iMiddle vary depending on the student. Layne Draeger (11) says, “I personally would not choose to attend iMiddle because I am not the biggest fan of STEM based learning”. While Elizabeth Williams (12) says that this could have been a perfect option for her if she were to be attending middle school in the 2019-2020 school year. Deciding whether or not your child should attend iMiddle is all based on the way they learn and the atmosphere they are most comfortable in. The new school should add a fresh touch to OPS and will hopefully allow students to be able to choose the best fit for them.