This year the Bethlehem Area School District fully reinstated the middle school teaming system, in which interdisciplinary teams of teachers work together to better meet the developmental needs of young adolescents. Teaming allows teachers to collaborate to implement creative, cross-curricular projects.

At Northeast MS, sixth grade team "Leaders Rock" emphasizes leadership through student-directed projects. Students design their own projects to give back to the community, and typically choose personally meaningful causes. Students are responsible for the organization of their own projects, including the proposal, calling community members, establishing meetings, and marketing. Projects range in scope from community-oriented, to national, and international, with students fundraising for Cops 'n' Kids Lehigh Valley, breast cancer research, and UNICEF. Many students choose not to fundraise, but rather devote their time to volunteering locally at food banks and homeless shelters.

Students conclude their projects by writing letters to deliver with checks, delivering donated items, writing thank you notes, and a final reflection paper. Last year, the team as a whole collected over $4,000 and estimated their impact at over 5,000 people. Team leader Julie Braido describes the benefits of these projects as "developing high level thinking through challenging, rigorous, and purposeful work that is outside of typical classes, while integrating core concepts."

Eighth grade "Team Cruise" at East Hills Middle School similarly emphasizes leadership and solidarity. Each of the team's five sections is responsible for planning a field trip, for which they conduct research, write parent letters, and pitch their idea to peers and administration for approval. The project requires students to write professional emails and make phone calls. Team leader Lisa Rodriguez says that students are often excited to take on tasks and handle the responsibility well. After the field trip, students create a related lesson plan for the class.

Each section is additionally responsible for creating a newsletter for parents. Students decide the subject matter, conduct the interviews, write the content, and format the final product. Rodriguez explains that working together promotes solidarity in that "partnership work gets everyone involved, students figure out what their role is going to be in contributing to the group effort, and what leadership qualities are." The level of responsibility given to students is designed to provide life skills in addition to the core classes.

Nitschmann MS's sixth grade "Team Moravian" partners with Moravian College for special events, which this year includes a tour of the campus, track and field day, and science and art day. Team leader Effie Dendrinos says, "kids often don't really realize what's all there at Moravian, and a lot end up seeing what they can do and really enjoy being a part of that." Team Moravian benefits from being within walking distance of the campus.

Team Moravian also focuses on sustainability through the Philadelphia Zoo's UNLESS program. Each year, the team adopts an endangered species to research. Through skype sessions, educational programs, and a visit to the zoo, students learn about what they can do to conserve biodiversity. The team also organizes recycling programs, with this year's project targeting unusual items like cell phones and eye glasses. As a part of the project, students will engage the community through Twitter, educational skits for elementary schools, recycling drives, and a culminating art project utilizing recycled materials with Moravian. Teacher Nancy Kvacky notes that the student-driven nature of their projects is beneficial because "students come up with fabulous ideas, they are really tech savvy and jump on ideas like using technology instead of paper [for marketing]."

Although just a sample of the district, these teams exemplify how teaming promotes collaboration and provides the opportunity teachers to work with students in developing independence and life skills.