WHITWELL MIDDLE SCHOOL

Whitwell Middle School is a public middle school that is part of the Marion County school district, located in Whitwell, TN with about 380 students offering grade levels from 5th Grade to 8th Grade. With about 21 teachers, Whitwell Middle School has a student/teacher ratio of about 18:1. The national average for public schools is about 15:1. A lower student/teacher ratio is a key factor that determines how much a teacher can devote his/her time to each individual student thus improving, or reducing (in the event of a higher student/teacher ratio) the attention each student is given for their educational needs.

Whitwell Middle School, located in the small town of Whitwell, Tennessee, serves students in grades 5 through 8 as part of the Marion County School District. The school is perhaps most internationally recognized for its powerful "Children's Holocaust Memorial" project, which began in the 1990s. This initiative, aimed at helping students understand the magnitude of the Holocaust by collecting six million paper clips to represent the lives lost, transformed the school into a symbol of tolerance, diversity, and historical education, eventually becoming the subject of the documentary film *Paper Clips*.

Beyond its historical legacy, Whitwell Middle School functions as a traditional community-focused institution dedicated to the academic and personal growth of its student body. The school emphasizes a supportive learning environment, offering a standard middle school curriculum alongside various extracurricular opportunities to engage students during these formative years. By fostering both rigorous academic standards and a strong sense of civic responsibility, the school continues to honor the lessons of its past while preparing its students for success in high school and beyond.

For more information, contact Whitwell Middle School at (423) 658-5635 or visit the school personally to speak with a faculty or administrative member about any specific questions you may have.