Middle-school students at Chabad Hebrew Academy are at a unique transition point. They are on the cusp from being children to becoming adults. So the curriculum at the academy expands their horizons and their responsiblities.

All of these skills are nurtured by a heavy emphasis on positive attitude. Our students succeed because their teachers have instilled in them an excellent, can-do attitude in tandem with rigorous academic expectations.

The academic curriculum increases in its demands at all levels. Students write at college-level standards as well as read and research detailed, professional quality scientific reports. Each middle-school student also works on completing a project portfolio. Many of these projects win prizes for our students at local and state-wide science competitions, such as the Greater San Diego Science Fair.

Students also excel in the humanities. Our writers repeatedly come in as finalists in the Young Writers' Contest Foundation, the San Diego Union-Tribune Students' Newspaper Contest and Israel's Bar-Ilan University's essay contest.

Another feature of the academy comes from students' excellent grasp of educational technology. They learn to master wireless computer technology, digital editing and project based film production.

Fluency in Hebrew is also a key trait of our middle-school students. Our eighth-grade students are fluent in conversational, modern-day Hebrew. The fact that our campus population hails from the entire world helps with our students' language skills as well as their cultural diversity.

As part of the academy's value-based curriculum, these students also volunteer their time on the average of six hours a month. They exemplify the Jewish value of Chesed or kindness through continuing after school clubs and community service activities. Activities include tutoring younger students and helping those less fortunate around the world.