Middle School

Ben Peddicord joined the AACS team in July of 2018. Ben has a master's degree in education, with a focus on school leadership, as well as a bachelor's degree in education & history from Eastern University. He has over a decade of teaching and administrative experience at the middle school level. In addition to his teaching and mentoring experience, he served as an assistant principal in two different Anne Arundel County public schools, and currently he serves as an elder in his church.

The beginning of adolescence marks the beginning of dramatic changes. Students at this age, though young and inexperienced, are in the process of putting childhood behind them and preparing for the high school years. They often feel self-conscious and unready for adult responsibilities, but they yearn, nevertheless, to be mature. We recognize the traits of this period of transition and address them in the design of our Middle School. From the sixth grade orientation to the final eight grade chapel service, students are guided, encouraged and challenged toward being young adults.

During these three years, students will advance from self-contained classrooms to rotated scheduling and greater academic demands. Emphasis is placed on the acquiring of skills necessary to work capably as independent learners. Students learn how to study, budget their time, prepare for a test, plan a project, and work in a group. Our focus is on preparing our students for both the academic challenge of high school and the challenge of life decisions.

Students are held to high standards of behavior. We stress personal responsibility for actions and actively reinforce character development. We expect students to be active partners in their learning, giving their best efforts toward developing a strong academic background that will enable them to use their God-given potential.

Collaboration and teamwork are fundamental to our success. Our teachers are organized into grade-level teaching teams and each teacher on the team teaches all of the children in that grade level. Each team is dedicated to understanding the developmental needs of the children in that grade and crafting a challenging educational program for their students. Teaching teams meet daily to discuss academic, curricular, and student concerns. The team plans ways to help students connect and apply biblical teaching to their subjects. Teachers, along with our guidance department, stay in close contact with parents in addressing student needs or issues

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV).

Transform

Sixth grade students are transforming in every way - academically, physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. We encourage and direct them to become more responsible, self-disciplined seekers of God and Truth.

Discern

As seventh graders continue to transform and discover their own identities, they need to develop discernment in their day-to-day decision-making. They begin to take ownership of their identity in Christ and take an active role as a student, thereby discerning how following Jesus produces godly actions in every aspect of life.

Lead

The eighth grade year is focused on gaining and honing leadership skills. Throughout the year, students are given opportunities to discover, understand, and apply the call to be servant leaders in the community. As eighth graders focus on their academics, they are encouraged to realize that education is more than just a means to an end, but is rather a journey that will shape their entire lives.

Class retreats are a special time for students to build their understanding of the deep and abiding love of the Lord. They grow in their faith, and build stronger relationships with their peers.

6^th Grade Retreat - Sixth-grade students participate in an annual fall retreat. Focusing on the 6th Grade Theme of "Called To Transform," students will work on various team-building activities. They will also dig into God's word regarding their role as culture creators, image identifiers, and relationship restorers. As new creations in Christ, we are all called to recognize the marvelous transformation that God wants to do in our lives. Our transformation in Christ will create a desire to love Him and to love others as we impact the world for His glory.

8^th Grade Retreat - Eighth grade students assume a position of leadership among their peers during their final year in Middle School. The 8th Grade Yearly Theme is "Called to Lead," and throughout the year, students seek to define the concept of leadership as they begin a life-long journey to discover how to see God clearly, how to see themselves honestly, and how to see others are made in the image of God.

At the 8^th Grade Fall Servant Leader Retreat, students participate in group discussions and team-building exercises, and actively listen to and inwardly reflect on targeted messages delivered by our Guest Speakers, as a vehicle to understand how to become a servant leader and how to become a servant leader in community. There is also time for fun, including some team-building activities.

Middle School Girls’ Lock-In - 8th Graders are given opportunities to live into their calling to be servant leaders at the middle school, and with a joyful spirit a group of 8th graders organize and host the annual Girls' Lock-in for 6th graders. Their goal is to encourage the kind of healthy, godly relationships that can impact the middle school culture (and beyond) and bear witness to the reality of God's love in the world.