Intersession

Each year Middle School curriculum at The Montessori School of Raleigh (MSR) pauses for Intersession, a one-week period when students — accompanied by MSR teachers, staff members, and sometimes parents — participate in full-immersion, interdisciplinary studies.

MSR is fortunate to be part of the greater Raleigh-Durham community and able to take advantage of the wealth of educational, technological, medical, cultural, and other resources available here and which provide valuable real-life learning opportunities. MSR’s Middle School Intersession program, a signature program designed to introduce students to new experiences, places, people, and ideas, connects students with Triangle-area organizations, destinations, and experts in a variety of disciplines allowing students to take a deep dive into areas of interest outside the typical academic program. Each Intersession course offers opportunities for on- and off-campus experiences and include working with and learning from area experts.

Intersession offerings are as varied as student interests and have included:

• Robotics – Explore the origins, applications, and future of robotics and then put the fundamentals of robot mechanisms and dynamics into action! Collaboratively design, build, and program robots that respond to light, motion, sound, or other human-machine interfaces.
• Entrepreneurship - Enjoy a business breakfast on campus with career development professional from Google and Silicon Valley. Learn how to start a small business with a program manager at First Flight, a science and technology business incubator. Visit First Flight in Research Triangle Park to hear medical and biotech companies pitch their business ideas. Develop and pitch your own business ideas and launch your own mini-business.
• Gardening - Explore the Brier Creek Campus (BCC) and surrounding areas, conducting experiments to learn more about seed germination and soil requirements. Dissect seeds and flowers to understand growth and reproduction and explore flower anatomy to learn about pollinators and how their compatible structures allow for more successful fertilization and fruit production. Design and plant a pollinator garden to attract organisms beneficial to the BCC garden and its productivity. 
• App Design – Create an engaging mobile app design from start to finish, working through the design thinking process to develop and explore your original app idea and building the technical proficiency and planning skills that take your idea to finished product.

Click here for more about Intersession Week at MSR.