Drawing on documents and interviews with school staff, this report describes Oaklea Middle School, serving grades five through eight in the Junction City (Oregon) School District. An overview of the school's startup and philosophy stresses the priority assigned to students' educational, physical, social, and emotional needs. The author next describes the division of the school into four subunits or schools-within-schools (called "rivers" because each is named after an Oregon river). Students are assigned to one river for their four years at Oaklea. The report also discusses the interdisciplinary team teaching program and lists 12 of its advantages identified by interviewees, including increased teacher participation in decision-making and greater instructional flexibility. Profiles of two Oaklea programs--the Vocational Industrial Technical Arts Learning (VITAL) program and the Exploratory Program--emphasize the opportunities for student self-direction. Interview data suggest the Oaklea program has helped improve the attitudes and achievement of students entering the local high school. Finally, the author briefly surveys research on middle schools and interdisciplinary team teaching. Appendices provide diagrams of Oaklea's floor plan and organizational structure. (Author/RW)