Beyond the Classroom

In Middle School, intentional vertical integration fosters connections between sixth grade, Form I, and Form II boys through team-building activities and service projects.

Middle School class trips bring students together to overcome a common obstacle that encourages discoveries about oneself, one’s classmates, and one’s teachers. In these critical years during which students begin their transformation from boys to men, they learn resilience, stamina, courage, teamwork, support, and life skills.

Rite of Passage

Haverford's Form II Rite of Passage program formally recognizes students' completion of Middle School and the shift from boyhood to manhood. During our program, the boys reflect on what they value, the people who influence them, and the person they wish to become. Our students' journey starts at Haverford and continues through Philadelphia and beyond, with a hike from Camden, N.J. back to campus. Through the successful completion of the Rite of Passage, our boys build confidence, resilience, responsibility, and independence, all important virtues for the next stage of their lives in Upper School.

Middle School Minimester

This four-day workshop explores the following themes:

Agents of Change: What are the needs of my local community, and how can I contribute?
Leadership in our Community: What qualities does it take to become a leader in a community?
Community: What is my role in the Haverford community, the Philadelphia community, the American community, and the global community - and what are my responsibilities to each?

Boys participate in a variety of activities to explore these themes. Sixth graders hear from men and women who created organizations to fill vital needs in their communities. The students perform community service at these organizations to learn more about them and reflect on the ways in which they can become agents of change.

Form I students examine questions of how and why someone becomes a leader in his or her community by attending workshops where they consider a leader’s role, what qualities effective leaders possess, and how a person's perceptions and biases impact his or her ability to lead. As they prepare for Form II, they more clearly understand how a leader is defined.

Form II students consider their place in various communities by volunteering in developing Philadelphia neighborhoods, hearing from Haverford faculty, staff, and students who have recently become part of the American community, and touring nearby areas populated by different global cultures.