Middle School Program
Girls are eligible to enter PAGE as rising 6th graders. Girls in our Middle School Program can participate in our annual summer program, partly staffed by a team of dedicated College Interns from Berea College, Duke University and Mars Hill University. During the school year, girls benefit from our After School program in the Fall and Spring, directed by Program Director Maia Surdam with support from Ms. Debbie Chandler, Assistant to the Program Director.
Our goal is to offer world-class educational opportunities for girls in Appalachia.
Over the past couple years in PAGE, girls created photo diaries about their lives, helped to plant and document a Heritage Garden, learned firsthand about the history of a Mars Hill Rosenwald school, and used audio recording equipment to interview each other and community elders. Girls read books in new ways in small literature groups, and they wrote poetry and stories in journals. They experienced the joy of creative, confidence-building activities: photography, writing, history detective work, gardening, quilting, farm to table baking – and more.
In our Middle School Program, we focus on place-based learning that helps each girl connect in positive ways with the local people, places, and stories of Appalachia. We offer new ways to learn and connect through digital learning projects. As girls prepare for High School, we provide mentoring that empowers them to imagine and create new pathways to college and their desired futures.
For more information about the Middle School program, contact:
Maia Surdam
Program Director
Email: maia.surdam@pageprograms.com
Phone: (608)239-6658
Debbie Chandler
Assistant to the Program Director
Email: dchandler@pageprograms.com
(828) 206-0742