Special Subjects

Art Department

The Art program recognizes the aspirations, needs of students, and seeks to continue the understanding about the arts which were instilled at the elementary level, in a manner relevant to this changing physical, social and intellectual development.

This program also provides for greater conceptual awareness by means of first-hand participation as well as the opportunity for open-ended discussion.

The art program recognizes the importance of interdisciplinary correlation.

Finally, the Middle School Art Program gives the student numerous opportunities to be creative, original and explorative through varied action-oriented projects, which continue to develop greater appreciation for the understanding of the principles and the elements of art.

Art Curriculum

6th Grade

• The sixth grade course provides hands-on experiences for students to apply the Elements and Principles of Art to produce original work.

7th Grade

• The seventh grade art program strengthens the student’s confidence in their ability to successfully apply the Elements and Principles of Art and Design to creative experiences. The students improve upon the skills and techniques needed to communicate original ideas in visual form.

8th Grade

• The eighth grade art program strives to have students value their personal ideas, symbols and subject matter while encouraging refinement of the skills and the techniques learned in the past grades.

Extra Curricular Activities

• Drawing and Painting Club
• Pottery Club
• Drexel Hill Annual Art Show, which highlights the students from Drexel Hill Middle School in the spring
• Arts Gala is district wide at the High School in the spring, which highlights all the students in the Upper Darby School District

Health and Physical Education Department

The theme of our health and physical education programs is to introduce students to vital health concepts and provide opportunities to practice health skills that can lead to health-enhancing behaviors.  This is accomplished my making real life connections using health skills activities to reinforce lesson content and teach valuable health skills at the same time.  The essential health skills that are addressed are assessing information, stress management, conflict resolution, analyzing influences, communication, practicing healthy behaviors, refusal skills, decision making, goal setting, and advocacy.  Emphasis is also placed on developing and maintaining personal fitness. A goal of these courses is to increase participation in physical activity, so that students can adopt a more active life style, and reduce the risk of developing certain diseases and illnesses.  The program meets the National and Pennsylvania Health and Physical Education Standards.

Physical Education Curriculum

Sports Skills

• Basketball
• Football
• Volleyball
• Team Handball
• Soccer
• Lacrosse
• Floor hockey
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Frisbee golf
• Softball

Rhythm
 Dance

• A variety of line dances

Fitness Activities

• Track
• Fitness circuit
• Monitoring heart rate
• Fitness room
• Fitness testing

Adventure

• Cooperative games
• Outdoor challenge initiatives
• Indoor rock wall
• Small group challenges

Large Group Games


• Mat ball
• Tail tag
• Scooter games
• Star wars
• King ball
• Continuous tag
• The blob

Dress Code 

Health Curriculum

6th Grade 

Nutrition, physical activity, personal health, body systems, tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.

7th Grade 

Building healthy relationships, alcohol and substance abuse, growing and changing, and communicable diseases.

8th Grade 

Mental and emotional health, physical activity and fitness, nutrition, alcohol, tobacco, and drug abuse.

Special Events

• Marine Fitness Competition
• Jump for Heart 
• Hoops for Heart (Winter and Spring)

Community Speakers

• Upper Darby Police Department
• Upper Darby High School - Teens Against Tobacco

Computer Science Department

The computer science department at Drexel Hill Middle School is part of the Upper Darby School District Business and Computer Information Systems (BCIS) department. Computer Science provides students in all grade levels with an introduction to computer science and software programs.

The students experience a hands-on approach to learning by using state-of-the-art equipment, including Mac computers, interactive whiteboards, scanners, digital cameras, printers, and more. Students produce various projects with the use of many different software programs.

Students are introduced to the Microsoft Office Suite, Inspiration, Google Workspace, and more. These courses also provide knowledge of digital etiquette, Internet safety, career exploration, and the history of hardware and software.