Welcome to Center for Economicology (6)

At the sixth grade Center for Economicology (CFE), our mission is to increase ecocultural sustainability throughout all aspects of our scholars’ lives.

Our interdisciplinary curriculum engages scholars by encouraging wonder, creativity, cooperation, collaboration, and compassion while promoting and maintaining high academic and social expectations.

We are dedicated to helping students identify gaps between their stated values and their daily actions; we do this by promoting critical questioning, learning from mistakes, integrating reason and emotion, and reflecting on how our daily life decisions have ripple effects throughout our community and the world. We believe that in order to create a more balanced, sustainable world where all beings may flourish, learning communities must be created where individuals celebrate diversity; question; learn; and grow into open-minded, integrated, lifelong learners.

Coined by local business and sustainability leader Peter Wege, the term economicology is best defined as “reasoned, respectful, engaged stewardship of the Earth household in service of both people and the planet.” There are six guiding principles that drive the philosophy behind our program. The “Six Es” are: ecology, economics, empathy, environment, ethics, and education.

The school consists of two classes of sixth grade scholars, and is located in its own building on the City High Middle School campus. The projects and experiences students engage in through our interdisciplinary curriculum include camping and backpacking, field studies at Riverside Park, Great Lakes water studies, renewable energy units, green home design and more! Through diverse academic and enrichment activities, our sixth graders graduate from this program better equipped to be active, lifelong learners and stewards of the Earth.