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Rebekah Orensten Wins State Library Award
Rebekah was named the School Media Innovator of the Year at the 2025 Minnesota Library Association Conference.
Welcome to Barack and Michelle Obama Middle School
Located in a newly renovated building, Obama Middle School is purposefully designed to be the middle school pathway for students and families who are interested in experiential, hands-on learning.
Building Support for Middle School Success
Foundations helps students transition to middle school through a supportive class focused on academics, digital citizenship, social-emotional learning, and college and career exploration.
What’s New
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![Obama Middle School's Rebekah Orensten Wins State Library Award]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1760993114/sppsorg/o4nz7gpynjcfmr8by1vn/RebekahOrensten.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1760993114/sppsorg/o4nz7gpynjcfmr8by1vn/RebekahOrensten.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1760993114/sppsorg/o4nz7gpynjcfmr8by1vn/RebekahOrensten.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1760993114/sppsorg/o4nz7gpynjcfmr8by1vn/RebekahOrensten.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1760993114/sppsorg/o4nz7gpynjcfmr8by1vn/RebekahOrensten.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1760993114/sppsorg/o4nz7gpynjcfmr8by1vn/RebekahOrensten.jpg","width":2200}])
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about Obama Middle School's Rebekah Orensten Wins State Library Award
![Ribbon Cutting Held for Obama Montessori and Middle Schools]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1759255098/sppsorg/ncf5607teiobsumubmk7/Screenshot2025-09-30at125755PM.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1759255098/sppsorg/ncf5607teiobsumubmk7/Screenshot2025-09-30at125755PM.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1759255098/sppsorg/ncf5607teiobsumubmk7/Screenshot2025-09-30at125755PM.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1759255098/sppsorg/ncf5607teiobsumubmk7/Screenshot2025-09-30at125755PM.png","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1759255098/sppsorg/ncf5607teiobsumubmk7/Screenshot2025-09-30at125755PM.png","width":1308}])
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about Ribbon Cutting Held for Obama Montessori and Middle Schools
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about Welcome to the 2025-26 School Year!
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about SPPS and SPFE Reach Tentative Agreement on New Contracts
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Welcome to Obama Middle
![About Barack & Michelle Obama Middle School]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1757017912/sppsorg/c466a15ubid9vhvgc5j6/DSC_0274.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1757017912/sppsorg/c466a15ubid9vhvgc5j6/DSC_0274.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1757017912/sppsorg/c466a15ubid9vhvgc5j6/DSC_0274.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1757017912/sppsorg/c466a15ubid9vhvgc5j6/DSC_0274.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1757017912/sppsorg/c466a15ubid9vhvgc5j6/DSC_0274.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1757017912/sppsorg/c466a15ubid9vhvgc5j6/DSC_0274.jpg","width":2200}])
Located in a newly renovated building attached to Barack & Michelle Obama Montessori, Obama Middle School is purposefully designed to be the middle school pathway for students and families who are interested in experiential, hands-on learning. This new school serves sixth grade only in 2025-26, and will add a grade each year to become a full 6-8th grade middle school in 2027.
![Meet Our Principal]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1734108300/sppsorg/nlappmml42nx9tcymgmb/AmandaHerrera-Gundale.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1734108300/sppsorg/nlappmml42nx9tcymgmb/AmandaHerrera-Gundale.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1734108300/sppsorg/nlappmml42nx9tcymgmb/AmandaHerrera-Gundale.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1734108300/sppsorg/nlappmml42nx9tcymgmb/AmandaHerrera-Gundale.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1734108300/sppsorg/nlappmml42nx9tcymgmb/AmandaHerrera-Gundale.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1734108300/sppsorg/nlappmml42nx9tcymgmb/AmandaHerrera-Gundale.jpg","width":1613}])
Principal Herrera-Gundale has spent the last 22 years in SPPS, beginning as a bilingual elementary teacher and most recently serving as an assistant director in the Office of Teaching and Learning since January 2022. She has spent much of her last 10 years focused on middle schools.
![Similarities between the Montessori Model and Middle School Model]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1732293127/sppsorg/buv4iwr0bbdw3acaiece/ObamaMiddleSchoolheroimage.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1732293127/sppsorg/buv4iwr0bbdw3acaiece/ObamaMiddleSchoolheroimage.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1732293127/sppsorg/buv4iwr0bbdw3acaiece/ObamaMiddleSchoolheroimage.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1732293127/sppsorg/buv4iwr0bbdw3acaiece/ObamaMiddleSchoolheroimage.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1732293127/sppsorg/buv4iwr0bbdw3acaiece/ObamaMiddleSchoolheroimage.jpg","width":1449}])
Like the Montessori model, the middle school model is centered around a team of teachers and advisors who work together to meet the social-emotional and academic needs of students.
Obama Middle School
at a glance
Obama Middle School is purposefully designed to be the middle school pathway for students and families who are interested in experiential, hands-on learning.
Service to Community
Students grow to be responsible leaders and mentors who give back to the school community.
Grade-Level Cohorts
Each grade is housed on its own floor to create a space for each grade to build community.
Hands-on learning
Students build skills and apply critical thinking through project-based, real-world learning.
Middle School Model
A team of teachers and advisors work together to support each student’s academic and social-emotional growth.
Calendar
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