Meigs Middle Magnet School - Nashville, TN

Meigs Academic Magnet Middle School is a fantastic place to teach, learn, and achieve. This year, we rose to meet the challenges of the pandemic just days after our school was ravaged by an EF3 tornado. Teachers and staff maintained kindness and compassion as they adjusted to teaching virtually, without lowering expectations for students or themselves. But what makes us most unique and worthy of this prestigious award is our intentional focus on Social and Emotional Learning while also maintaining a rigorous program for precocious learners that is both academically challenging and intellectually stimulating.

We explicitly teach SEL lessons every week to every student. We actively show our students how to use the Power of the Pause, employ a growth mindset, and manage stress and emotions in healthy ways. Teachers ensure that every student's name is pronounced correctly and work hard to make sure that each student feels known and valued at school. We monitor every student's SEL status and offer comprehensive, wrap-around support at a moment's notice. We maintain a rigorous liberal arts curriculum that is tailored to gifted and talented students. We accelerate the content, add complexity to the standard curriculum, and differentiate the learning processes and products to meet the needs of our advanced students. As part of our schoolwide SEL initiative, we practice an "attitude of gratitude," writing down the things for which we are grateful. In 2021, we are most thankful for the privilege of teaching and working with our Meigs family.