Principal's Welcome Message
Joseph Gilkes
Principal
Thurgood Marshall Middle is an Antioch community school that serves students in grades 5 to 8. We work to serve the "Whole Child" so students can be prepared for high school and beyond. We do this by fostering a collaborative culture where grade-level content teachers come together to discuss, plan, and prepare instruction that is best for all students in their classroom. Our curriculum includes a focus on English, Science, Social Studies, and Math, as well as advanced courses; such as, Integrated Math I and Spanish I for high-school credit. We practice blended learning, where students are exposed to both traditional classroom and technology-driven instruction, which helps prepare them for digitally administered courses in high school and college. Encore also provides extra scholastic support to our gifted and talented students.
Beyond instruction, we work to develop students socially and emotionally through clubs, sports, SEL integrated instruction, and restorative practice. After school, students can explore other interests by participating in sports or extracurricular activities like dance, pep band, cheerleading, football, basketball, soccer, wrestling, volleyball, and track. These activities provide opportunities for personal growth outside the classroom.
We highly value connections with our parents and community, so please consider joining our school volunteer program or PTA (parent-teacher association) as our students can greatly benefit from your involvement and contributions to the school. Building strong family and community partnerships enables us to maximize the learning and social experiences of our students.