At the heart of Wakulla Middle School is the belief that the focus of all educational
programs and school practices should be centered on the student in order to meet
the unique needs of this age. Wakulla Middle School strives to meet the physical,
social, emotional, and intellectual needs of students in grades six through eight utilizing
instructional practices and learning activities which take into account differences in
learning styles. With the understanding that developmentally appropriate activities
enhance learning at all levels, we believe that all the programs and practices of WMS
should be based on a thorough knowledge of the developmental characteristics of
middle school students and focused on needing their needs.

While congruent with the educational philosophy of all the Wakulla Country schools,
K-12, this school is unique in that it provides a learning environment where middle
school students are actively engaged in the learning process. This school should be
neither an elementary school nor a mini-high school, but should possess the components
that will provide a smooth transition from the elementary to the high school level.

Wakulla Middle School should be student-centered rather than subject-centered and
should provide a safe, structured, and physically comfortable environment to promote
student learning. Recognizing the critical role of a middle school in the  development of a
student's self-concept, we would attempt to enhance student self-esteem by creating an
atmosphere of positive relationships and mutual respect among and between students and
staff.

Curriculum and instruction should appeal to the exploratory nature of middle school students,
and yet provide the challenging expectations needed to increase inidvidual student performance. We believe that mastery of basic communication, mathematics, and technology skills is of primary importance in the middle school so that students will have the life skills needed to be successful in future studies and job-related experiences. We realize that exceptional students will require special services and resources to facilitate learning. Given a supportive and challenging learning environment, all students will, hopefully, utilize appropriate decision-making processes.

Believing that successful educational endeavors must include the home as an integral part, we
encourage the community to be involved in all aspects of the school program in an advisory
as well as an operational role. We strongly believe that a successful school is one in which teachers, parents, and community members share the responsibility for student education through the supporof the school's mission.