As students move from elementary to middle school, the need to engage students’ critical thinking abilities in their fullest form becomes the primary aim of education. Critical thinking yields questioning, innovation, and coherent analysis, all of which are essential skills in high school and college. Students confront textual issues such as character development and plot; variable algebra, which is introduced in the eighth grade; and the history of social and political development. The curriculum also requires students to take Spanish, and most students are involved in middle school band. Students have the opportunity to explore visual art in an after-school club that meets once per week.