In our biggest year yet, our Whitman science volunteers expanded learning opportuniteis in several ways. We almost doubled the number of science night attendees from 1,030 to 1,900; served eight elementary schools, an increase of one; added two new science stations for a total of 10; and visited 22 more classrooms or 117 total.

For the first year, thanks to the support of the local Yancey P. Winans Testamentary Trust, Science Outreach offered an intern-ship to Whitman chemistry major, Laura Rea (’17). She is pictured above at the science night station she created, disappearing ink. Through her diligent, organized, and insightful work, the number of science night volunteers tripled from an average of 3 to an average of 9.

At Walla Walla High School, we piloted two new programs, the research buddies and science classroom teaching assistants,

supporting increased engagement is science education. Laura’s simple sign-up system was critical to the success of these pilots.

Engaging our Community 2016-17

SPRING 2017

School Outreach

EducateEngage

Connect

Reaching Out to Make a Difference!

MissionWhitman College School Outreach connects to the community, educates K-12 students and teachers, and engages in experiences that cultivate and inspire exploration of science and lifelong learning.  

4,856 People explored science.

1,978 People interacted with snakes.

1,643 People attended Family Science Nights.

1,579 People looked up and saw the night sky in the planetarium.

211 Walla Walla public school 7th graders received climate change outeach lessons.

117 Classrooms engaged in Whitman science lessons.

53 Whitman students volunteered to share science with the children of the Walla Walla Valley.

Science Outreach:By the Numbers

2016-17

Haley Barker (‘17) with a Blue Ridge Elementary student

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20 Whitman student volunteers provided academic support at Walla Walla High School in guided-study and math classrooms, plus the Academic Lab with Classroom Connections.

25 student participants from the Walla Walla Valley attended Whitman for a three-day program through Whitman Institute for Scholastic Enrichment, (WISE).

25 pairs of readers promoted early literacy in childcare centers and K-2 classes with Story Time.

30 Spanish-speaking tutors offered academic support in grades K-3 with Green Park Bilingual.

30 Whitman student interns invested 3,000 math and literacy tutoring hours in local K-12 classrooms through America Reads/America Counts.

62 Whitman student volunteers offered friendship, role modeling, and support to K-5 students at all district elementary schools with Whitman Mentors.

80 Whitman student volunteers taught civil rights lessons to nearly 1,200 students in Walla Walla through Whitman Teaches the Movement.

School Outreach:By the Numbers

2016-17

The students listened attentively as I read Dear Children of the Earth: A Letter from Home. Then they excitedly produced their own letters written to Earth, beautifully illustrated. (See example on right.)

The level of student engagement was profound. Indeed, students were so proud of their work that I reversed course on the original plan to keep an anthology of their letters in the Green Park Elementary School library and instead encouraged them to take their letters home. This high level of student engagement was not limited solely to the “highly capable” students. Students at all levels listened attentively to the read-aloud, excitedly expressed their own thoughts, and eagerly shared their understanding of how kids could do their part to protect our collec-tive home.

Throughout the past four years at Whitman College, I have become increasingly embedded in the greater Walla Walla community. At first, I volunteered with Story Time and the Mentor Program. Then, I taught civil rights lessons with Whitman Teaches the Movement and volunteered at local elementary school Science Nights. Working as

an America Reads America Counts tutor upped the ante. I became a member of the Green Park Elementary School community. As a student teaching this year at Green Park, I planned lessons considering both procedural and differentiated instructional techniques to ensure students of all levels were engaged.

As I have gained familiarity and comfort with teaching, I have also sought to give other Whitman students opportunities to do the same. As the Story Time intern, I developed a Common Core-aligned literacy lesson, giving my colleagues a professional opportunity to teach.

I am excited to continue my education at the University of Washington, pursuing both my elementary master’s in teaching degree as well as an ELL endorsement.

Why I TeachKevin Miller ‘17, student intern and biology major

“Dear Mother Earth, Thank you for all the wild animals and the trees to make oxygen for us to live.”

-Green Park Elementary student

Kevin Miller (‘17) at Blue Ridge Elementary

The Student Engagement Center (SEC) earned one of three of Walla Walla School District Partners of the Year awards. Noah Leavitt (left), Associate Dean of the SEC and Katrina Kerrigan ‘17 (center), Whitman Mentor Intern represented Whitman. Also pictured: Dr. David Hampson, School Board member.

5 WISE Interns

Whitman Institute for Scholastic Enrichment (WISE)The goal of WISE is to inspire students to attend college. Participants spend three days on the Whitman campus during the summer before ninth grade, attending classes and workshops. Alumni of the summer program continue to receive support throughout high school.

Sonja Aikens

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Alondra Contreras (‘18), race and ethnic studies majorAlondra is from Anaheim, California, and is the first in her family to attend a four-year college. She is passionate about promoting college to younger students from similar backgrounds.

Intern Alondra Contreras plays kayak polo during a WISE alumni reunion on April 15. Interns host the reunions, which occur once each semester. The spring reunion also included arts and crafts and meetings with a Whitman admission officer.

Ye Rim Cho (‘19), sociology majorYe Rim was born in Seoul, South Korea, and moved to Los Angeles at age 3. She appreciates that working as a WISE intern gives her the opportunity to meet students from the community.

Yurixy Lopez Martinez (‘19), math and Spanish majorA first-generation college student, Yurixy was born in Mexico, raised in Anaheim, California, and participated in AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) in high school.

Nicole Martinez (‘18), art majorNicole came to Whitman from Brooklyn, N.Y. As a high school student, she participated in a program similar to WISE and credits the program with helping her reach Whitman.

Magaly Gonzalez (‘18), Spanish majorMagaly is studying abroad in Valparaiso, Chile, and blogs about living and learning in another country. Magaly was born in Los Angeles and lived in Oaxaca, Mexico, from age 1 to 7.

Photo by Jake Barokas ‘18

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Heidi ChapinScience Outreach Coordinatorchapinh@whitman.edu509-522-4441

Susan PrudenteOutreach Coordinatorprudensk@whitman.edu509-527-5183

Sonja AikensWISE Program Coordinatoraikenssl@whitman.edu509-527-5596

Our PartnersAssumption Elementary-Middle School

Berney Elementary

Blue Ridge Elementary

Carrie Welch Trust

Clara and Art Bald Trust

College Place Public Schools

DeSales High School

Edison Elementary

Garrison Middle School

George Welch Trust

Great Explorations in Education (AAUW)

Green Park Elementary

Joseph L. Stubblefield Trust

Lincoln High School

Pacific Power Foundation

Pioneer Middle School

Prospect Point Elementary

Sharpstein Elementary

The Mary Garner Esary Trust

Walla Walla High School

Walla Walla Public School District Office

School Outreach ProgramsAdvanced Studies EnrichmentAmerica Reads/America CountsClassroom Science ProgramsClassroom ConnectionsCool the SchoolsFamily Science NightGreat ExplorationsGreen Park BilingualPlanetariumScience Summer InstituteStorytime ProjectWhitman MentorWhitman Teaches the MovementWISE

Forward MomentumHeidi Chapin

We continue to forge and enhance alliances with local organizations to establish and deepen connections with our community.

For instance, at Science Nights, National Forest Service Intern Juliana Matz ’19, a sociology major, blended art and science through a lesson on leaf rubbings. She also distributed sign-up material for the national Every Kid in a Park program. Members from the local Audubon Society showed students how to construct a type of bird’s nest using natural materials and wire. And the Tri-State Steelheaders salmon enhancement group guided students in the practice of Gyotaku, the Japanese art form of making colorful prints using real fish.

Further, we strengthened our long-standing ties with Lincoln

High School, offering new support to its students while expanding opportunities for Whitman volunteers. We spent a day engaging young minds about civil rights during the annual Whitman Teaches the Movement and then, for the first time, hosted a gallery show on the Whitman campus of their related artwork on the topic. Also, Assistant Professor of Biology Arielle Cooley hired a Lincoln high school student as a research assistant to analyze DNA and examine developmental stages of plant embryos this summer.

Our work builds important bridges for both public school students and Whitman students, creating a route to new possibilities, career pathways and lifelong learning.

Contact Information

Inspiration:“The most valuable thing I learned was that even someone like me can accomplish their goals for a better career and even life.”

-Skyler, Lincoln High School student