Mt. Eccles Elementary School will emphasize science through field trips and other hands-on learning throughout the coming year, officials said.
Cordova School District’s 2019-20 school year commenced Wednesday, Aug. 21. Throughout the year, programs will either take students out into the natural world or bring the natural world into the classroom, Principal Gayle Groff said.
“They’re not just learning science from a book,” she said. “They’re out there taking data. They’re out there seeing how it works in the real world and in a real job. The more hands-on experience they can have, the better, and it’s very engaging. Kids enjoy school a lot more when they’re doing these kinds of activities. Who wouldn’t want to go explore Sheridan Glacier?”
Sixth-graders led by teacher Krysta Williams will spend their first week of class studying science and technology at a series of temporary modules around the school. These activities culminate on Friday, Aug. 23, with an outdoor exercise requiring students to build shelters using materials found in nature.
Mt. Eccles third-graders will forego the traditional hamster or rabbit for a new classroom pet — the stick insect. Stick insects are well suited to the classroom because they’re slow-moving, easy to care for and they don’t bite, Groff said. A lining of shredded coconut husks will be used to regulate moisture in the insects’ tanks, and vases of salmonberry sprigs will provide food and a place to perch. The insects are expected to molt at intervals over the coming months before laying eggs and then dying in November. If all goes to plan, students will then be able to hatch the eggs and raise a new generation of stick insects.
Demand for access to the school’s 10 stick insects is high, Groff said. Some of the insects will stay in the third-grade classroom, while others will be wheeled from room to room on a cart.
Sea Week, tentatively scheduled for early May, will take students from all grade levels on excursions to habitats around the Cordova area. Some classes will focus on birds, others on intertidal mollusks or sea mammals. During Sea Week, students will be able to learn about certain species in the classroom and then encounter them in the wild, Groff said.
The school will also continue its fish tank project, in which students raise coho salmon from eggs and release them into the wild. Like many of its other natural science activities, the fish tank project is facilitated by partnerships with the Copper River Watershed Project and the Prince William Sound Science Center.
Beginning this year, the school is offering students packages of learning materials tailored according to their Measures of Academic Progress test results. The school is also implementing a “response to intervention” program, which will provide students with personalized, small-group instruction.
“It’s a very individualized time,” Groff said. “Basically, it’s a time to really hone in on students’ individual needs. So, if somebody needs some extra support, we have avenues to offer that.”
The Mt. Eccles faculty has been joined this year by Stefanie Tschappat, who will teach third grade. A longtime Cordova resident, Tschappat has done previous work with the school and the science center.
“As always, I hope that we will learn to be kind people who are excited about learning,” Groff said. “If we have those two things going on, we’re going to be able to accomplish every academic goal we could set.”
