Hammarskjold Middle School

This is a great middle school! My brother just completed it a few years ago and is well above his peers in other districts.

I currently attend this school and think it is amazing. I'm in honors classes and although they are harder than regular math and ILA classes, they are challenging but not too demanding. All the teachers are great and helpful, and the lunches are a huge step up from elementary lunches. Although we do not get recess, I do not miss it at all. In fact, I enjoy a schedule without recess because I think education always comes before playing. I always have time to play outside when I get home. Finally, the students are kind which makes it easy to make tons of friends.

Oversized, clean, new, hard to transition are some words to describe Hammarskjold. First of all, it's really clean, and that's good. But it was such a big transition and the teachers didn't help at all. I learned how to open my locker on the 3rd week of school, because the teachers never helped me. It's also way too big. A lot of my next-to-next classes are all the way across the building, and it takes about 5 mins when I run. I mean, they have 8 elementary schools and 1 middle? Come on. The good thing about being big is that you can make many new friends. Again, the building is always squeaky clean, the lunch tastes good, and the teachers are nice. Some teachers give way too much homework and some are awfully hard in grading, but I like the clean part. Also, it's a new build so the AC is running well and the bully protection system is really safe. So it's okay. Oh yeah, and I won Vice President!

The bully policy simply does not work in this town. They mishandled a bully situation and we are trying to undo the damage with a team of professionals. The professionals have even stated that this is no longer the town to raise kids. They have seen many kids in similar situations. You are just a number and no one cares. Our child is not the only one who has suffered, our entire family has suffered. Our child is no longer in this school system.
—Submitted by a parent

I am now in 9th grade, but I finished 6th grade in the previous HMS building then started 7th grade in the new building. All I can is that EB has really outdone themselves. The school is massive with an extremely large auditorium (seats 1200). The school offers a lot technology implements such as SmartBoards, Senteos, Scantrons, computers, and projectors. All of this is available to all the teachers. The curriculum is challenging but isn't going to fail a child. The teachers are kind and understanding, and stay afterschool to help the ones that struggle. My most memorable experiences were Student Council (chief-of-staff), ILA, and science. If I didn't have a perfect future planned for me, I would have failed the grade and stayed back.

First of all, I'm not so impressed by this school. Yes, it won the Blue Ribbon award but, it was in 1994 95. Sadly, now it is just a way for realtors to pump up a district. It's just a waste of a time if your hild doesn't get into any honor classes. The school curriculum isn't as advanced as New York schools, unless your child is in the honor program. By the way, there are no certain criterias on how your child can be choosen for the honor program, no special tests, and it is totally just somebody's subjectivity. The school is very well technically equipped, but some teachers can't use this advanced technology. Some teachers are very dedicated but others are extrememely weak and careless of the students' work. My child's ILA (English) teacher completely killed my child's interest in the English language.Before my child used to write stories and poems but, was quickly losing desire to write and read. It took a lot of time and strength as parents to help my kid care for English and want to progress in the subject. I hope the next year's teacher will help revive my kid's interest a lot better than we have in English again.
—Submitted by a parent

Great school and great teachers and learning environment. I would recommend it highly!
—Submitted by a parent

I go to this school as a 7 th grader and its teachers and curriculum are absolutely wonderful!
—Submitted by a student

I have had two important and somewhat different types of experience there: my son was a straight-A student who began to act out in 6th grade with attendance problems and lower grades; my daughter is very gifted (A+s/As in honors courses) with artistic as well as intellectual talents. Both experiences at Hammarskjold were excellent; both my children were given the kind of attention appropriate to them. With my son, Hammarksjold staff helped me to 'scare him straight' by (among other things) describing how the Truant Officer handles such cases. He went on to a very successful high school career and is now attending Rutgers University. My daughter's talents have been encouraged in every way, both academically with rigorous honors classes and artistically with in- and out-of-school opportunities. Hammarskjold is very crowded (expansion will soon be underway) but very disciplined in every way. I couldn't be happier!
—Submitted by a parent

I am very disappointed with Hammerskjold. The school is overcrowded, traffic is horrible! They don't teach the students how to organize themselves changing classes for the first time, My kids get more photocopied 'Packets' than books. Principal is very good. Discipline is good, after school activities OK, but no playground or recess. Character education program is failing.
—Submitted by a parent

School is very overcrowded and you have almost 800 kids per grade. A lot of kids do not know each other. Some teachers are exellent and some are incompetent or just tired.
—Submitted by a parent

I found the school offered the children no asistance or support in the transition from elementary school to middle school. Most of the children were in seperate smallers schools and have been droppped into this hugely different enviroment, with no real home room teacher, an unsupporting staff and a cruel administration that is out to punish children instead of resolving issues. I took my child out after one year and put him into Catholic School.
—Submitted by Deborah, a parent

The school is a bit overcrowded. There is an unspoken favortism that exists with the upper management of the school and the PTA. Otherwise, good teachers and a healthy environment to learn.
—Submitted by an administrator

I currently have a child in both 6th and 7th grade. I am so very impressed with the vast majority of teachers and staff. They are wonderful about picking up the phone to talk to parents before issues become problems and to help ensure a partnership with the teachers/staff, the student and the family. I am truly pleased with this school, though would prefer the school system would go back to more basics such as diagraming sentences, emphasis on handwriting and more writing assignments in general
—Submitted by a parent