STEM @ Whittier

The U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools award recognizes schools, districts, and institutes of higher education that:

1. reduce environmental impact and costs;

2. improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff; and

3. provide effective environmental and sustainability education

In April 2022, Whittier Elementary School was recognized as one of twenty-one schools across the Untied States who was received this distinction. Whittier Elementary School was also the ONLY school in Washington, DC to receive this prestigious distinction.

PLTW Distinguished Program Recognition celebrates districts and schools committed to helping students own their education by increasing student access, engagement, and achievement in their PLTW programs. Whittier Elementary School students (PreK-Grade 5) are exposed to Project Lead The Way: Launch, where they learn how to become critical thinkers, solve challenges with respect to the inquiry process.

• Pre-K - Healthy Habits

• K - Structure & Function: Human Body

• 1st - Designs Inspired by Nature

• 2nd - Materials Science: Form & Function

• 3rd - Environmental Changes

• 4th - Earth: Human Impact & Natural Disasters

• 5th - Infection: Modeling & Simulations

In May 2022, Whittier Elementary School was recognized as one of two hundred and eighty-two schools across the Untied States who was received this distinction. Whittier Elementary School was also the ONLY school in Washington, DC to receive this prestigious distinction.

STEM Focus: Urban Sustainability

Whittier Elementary School’s STEM focus is Urban Sustainability, which is the idea that a city can be self-reliant rather than having to depend on resources from the surrounding area in order to thrive. Some ways in which we have worked towards practicing and educating our students and community about urban sustainability are to continue our recycling and compost programs as well as expanding our garden to produce more delicious produce. As we continue in this mindset both in and out of the classroom, we hope to foster a sense of independence and creativity in our students, as well as their pride in being residents of Washington, DC.

Whittier School Garden

Whittier Elementary School is very proud of our community garden, which has been growing next to our playground since 2008. It was first established in memory of Ms. Nico, our former teacher and guidance counselor who tragically passed away unexpectedly at the age of 29. It was created with the assistance of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). In the spring of 2019, the garden was reopened after it was reorganized and expanded with the assistance of a grant from Out-Teach, a non-profit organization that works to create outdoor learning spaces for schools around the country. Since its reopening, the garden has been tended lovingly by our teachers, staff, students, and families to provide fresh produce to our community, new ingredients for our Cooking Club to experiment with, and a unique opportunity for our students to learn about the process of how plants grow and thrive. In addition to providing a bounty of delicious herbs and vegetables, the Whittier Garden is also a beautiful backdrop for our outdoor classrooms. Beginning in the Fall of 2019, a cohort of Whittier teachers who were trained by Out-Teach began to engage our students in meaningful, project-based learning outdoors in all subjects, including science, literature, art, and math. 

In school year 2019-2020, students in the Garden Club created nesting balls, planted herb seeds, harvested herbs, fruit, and vegetables, planned for the next year’s garden, and read a story about school gardening and health. During the 2020-2021 year, the garden is growing a variety of fruits and vegetables, including beans, beets, tomatoes, eggplants, squash, blueberries, grapes, watermelon, cantaloupe, and peppers. We are also growing a variety of herbs, such as mint, rosemary, sage, and thyme, and flowers that help to beautify our school and community, including lisianthks, zinnias, and marigolds. 

If you would be interested in getting involved in our community garden, we are always looking for more people to help us! Please feel free to reach out to us at whittierecgarden@dck12.onmicrosoft.com. 

Whittier Famer’s Market

The Whittier Elementary School Farmer’s Market is run by the Whittier Garden Club with a farm stand located on school property and managed by staff of that school. Whittier’s Farmer’s Market is an exciting opportunity to engage community members in the school garden, create a healthy food access point and fundraise to support food education and garden programming!

If you are interested in becoming a vendor at our farmer’s market, please reach out to us at whittierecgarden@dck12.onmicrosoft.com.

Curriculum: Project Lead The Way: Launch

Throughout the academic school year, PreK-Grade 5 students attend STEM class weekly, where they learn about environmental issues aligned to urban sustainability goals and identify solutions to solve these problems. Students participate in various hands-on experiences leading up to a culminating project at the conclusion of the module using the engineering design process.

PLTW Modules:

• PreK - Healthy Habits

  • Challenge/Project: Students/Families will identify what healthy habits have changed and how they have changed over the course of the school year.

• K - Structure & Function: Human Body

  • Challenge/Project: Students will use 10+ household items to create a cast for Angelina that is: strong, water resistant, comfortable, and light.

• 1st - Designs Inspired By Nature

  • Challenge/Project: Students will use 10+ household items to create a design inspired by nature.

• 2nd - Materials Science: Form & Function

  • Challenge/Project: Students will use 10+ household items to design a tool that can help spread seeds all over a field.

• 3rd - Environmental Changes

  • Challenge/Project:

• 4th - Earth: Human Impact & Natural Disasters

  • Challenge/Project: Students will complete a home trash survey and waste audit to identify how much trash they actually use; Students will create an composting bin at home and monitor how products decompose in the environment.

• 5th - Infection: Modeling & Simulation

  • Challenge/Project: Mayor Bowser wants DC to be prepared for any future outbreaks of disease that might impact the city. She is asking student experts to inform their fellow DC residents about infectious diseases, disease prevention, and practical things people can do to protect themselves fom getting sick. Shoot a 1-2 commercial explaining to your peers the impact or disease, vaccinations, and protection to our society.

Check out some more of our end-of-module projects that our PreK-Grade 5 students completed.

Recycling 101 @ Whittier

Whittier Elementary School has partnered with the DC Department of General Services to improve its recycling program and begin composting. In an effort to reduce the school’s carbon footprint, we began composting all leftover food waste that was uneaten from breakfast and lunch with the goal that the compost created could be repurposed to feed our garden. Students learned about what items can be recycled or composted and excitedly took responsibility for sorting their own leftovers into the appropriate cans for trash, compost, or recycling. Through this effort, we are also teaching our students how to better care for our environment by reducing our waste and help in the fight against climate change. 

If you are interested in learning more about how composting and recycling works in schools, check out the video and game below!

CAFETERIA SORTING CHECKLIST

RECYCLING WASTE SORTING GAME

Thank you to our partners who supported the Whittier Elementary School STEM Program! We could not have done it without you!