Welcome to Dunn Middle School

Hello students and parents:

Welcome to Dunn Middle School. Our theme this year, “A Year With the Arts“ will be a way we can take a concentrated look at the visual, performing, and other sensory arts. The options are unlimited, but we also hope to link the arts to all our academic subjects. We are not alone in our quest. Most of the major universities now have blended fields between art and science/math/music/history/language and more.

As you may know, our ongoing school motto “carpe diem” means “seize the day.” I can think of no stronger link to the arts than the ultimate challenge to seize the day. Students this year will be challenged in the academic arenas, the arts, and most importantly by the blending of these fields and connecting them all in a meaningful fashion.

Sixth through eighth grade is, in our opinion, the most exciting stage of development for young people. Now is the time that they discover the world around them and the importance of their influence on the world. As educators, we believe our primary goal is to educate the mind of our students rather than simply filling the brain with facts. We want students to begin to think for themselves, make conscious decisions, and believe that they can control their destiny in a positive fashion.

Every aspect of DMS is linked, in some fashion, to our goal of helping students become well-rounded and intelligent decision makers. We are prepared to help them through their bad decisions, and we enjoy celebrating their good decisions and accomplishments.  We believe a strong  partnership with parents is the key to our success. Together we can support and nurture our next generation.

Carpe diem!

Linda Marie Smith
Head of Dunn Middle School 

News
Dunn recently hosted the Nagasaki Peace Messengers from Japan, the only school in America to do so. It was hard to say whether the Japanese students or Dunn students got more out of the visit.
Click here to read more about this important story. Japanese television also covered the story; click on the following to view the video report:
http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/movie/feature54.html