Middle School (age 12-15)

Our Middle School programme, for children aged 12-15, is designed to meet the unique needs of adolescents, who are active doers eager to discover their role in society. Balancing childhood and adulthood, students engage in seminars, debates, and real-world projects that connect them to the community, helping them uncover their passions and societal roles. Alongside their regular studies in math, science, and the humanities, they have opportunities to build furniture, cook meals, volunteer, and explore music and the arts, providing a well-rounded and meaningful educational experience.

Adolescents want to see and understand their own role in everything: they are active doers, not passive watchers or listeners. They want to discover their role in society but stand firmly with one foot still in childhood and the other in adulthood.

The Middle School programme uses these tendencies to give students the skills they desire with the information they need. Through seminars, debates, and real work that connects students to their community, they come to discover their passion and role in society.

In addition to their regular studies of math, science, and the humanities, students have opportunities to build furniture, cook lunch for themselves, volunteer at a local food bank, and explore music and the arts.

An Evening of Music and Community

This year’s Instrumental Recital Night happened at Densho Hall, in the Shibuya Cultural Center. It was a very beautiful hall. The neatly rowed seats were cushioned on the back and studded with golden seat numbers on the top. The stage was lit from the center outwards giving the performer a kind of glow to them when they entered. Getting a chance to perform in such a beautiful hall really added to the night. Musical pieces included opera, Chinese traditional music, folk, rock,

May 13

Small Hands, Big Impact: Bringing the “Real” Forest Back to MST

The reforestation of the MST Garden has been a multi-year educational project that has involved collecting seaweed at a beach, gathering acorn in Arisugawa Park, bundling straw, conditioning the soil and finally planting native trees. The project has included the middle school adolescents on down to the Sunshine gardeners, as well as faculty and parents. Through all the lectures, demonstrations, research and hands-on experience MST may have the largest concentration of forest

Apr 16

Stillness and Reverence in the Borneo Jungle

For middle school guide Kartika Harsono, a journey deep into the Borneo rainforest becomes a powerful meditation on wonder, humility, and our connection to the natural world. One of the most memorable and awakening experiences of my life was a journey into the Borneo rainforest in Indonesia. The trip began in Jakarta and continued by plane to Pangkalan Bun in Central Borneo, the gateway to Tanjung Puting National Park. While the park is best known for its orangutans, made fa

Jan 29

A Strong First Step: MST Takes the Court

Head of School James shares how MST’s Willow and Eucalyptus ballplayers made history in their first middle school-level team sports fixture, showing grit, teamwork, and school spirit in a closely contested basketball match against Nishimachi. Dear Parents, I wanted to personally thank you and your children for being part of last week’s basketball fixture at Nishimachi International School. It was a real pleasure to see our Willow and Eucalyptus students representing MST on th

Jan 29

Envisioning the High School Together

I just wrapped up an energizing week at MST, diving deep into the visioning work for our 15-18 Adolescent Program. I spent time with students in both the Eucalyptus and Willow classes, facilitated our Parent Visioning Session, and I'm excited to share what emerged from these conversations. Working with Our Students The Eucalyptus students shared with me what makes their current experience meaningful: the freedom to choose their own work, the balance of individual and coll

Dec 15, 2025

Speed, Spirit, and Six Medals for MST

MST hosted the ISTAA Cross Country tournament for the third straight year with 352 students competing. The November 21 tournament welcomed runners from 11 international schools: BST, CAJ, Columbia, KAIS, KIST, Malvern, MST, Nishimachi, SIS, UST, and Yoyogi. MST brought a strong team of 57 runners, from 1st grade through middle school, many competing in their first inter-school race. Despite the highly competitive field, MST runners delivered standout performances and secured

Dec 8, 2025

- Maria Montessori