Richland’s Marcus Whitman mulling STEM opportunities

Richland’s Marcus Whitman Elementary School will move into its new building next fall, but the staff is working on having more for the students than new classroom furniture and upgraded technology.

Principal Brian Moore recently presented his vision for highlighting STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math, education at the school. He called for new approaches in the classroom in addition to after-school programs, field trips and partnerships with others in the community, such as the Reach center and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Details of how Marcus Whitman staff will pursue those activities, and how they’ll be paid for have yet to be determined. But Moore said that it’s crucial his students, many whom come from low-income backgrounds, have the same opportunities as children living in wealthier areas of the district.

“Our kids really don’t have equal experiences,” Moore said.

The focus on STEM education isn’t new in the Tri-Cities.

Delta High School, a STEM school cooperatively operated by the Pasco, Kennewick and Richland school districts, was one of the first forays into teaching students skills needed for high-tech jobs such as engineering and computer science. Pasco has since opened four STEM elementary schools.

Richland school officials are reportedly looking at a STEM focus for its fourth middle school, which is under construction. The Next Generation Science Standards, scheduled to be put into place in the coming years, also will require teachers to change how they teach, focusing more on critical thinking and hands-on approaches to learning.

Moore and his staff members are scheduled to tour Pasco’s STEM schools as they look at developing their own plans, but he emphasized that he doesn’t want Marcus Whitman to become a STEM school itself. Rather, this effort is about providing the “extras” that can entice students to become interested in STEM fields.

“Our kids ... don’t get to go to robotics camp, are less likely to go to museums,” he said. “They’re lacking life experiences that give them an advantage in math and science.”

About half of Marcus Whitman’s students receive free or reduced price school meals, one of the higher ratios among Richland’s elementary schools.

“Ultimately, the goal is to inspire these kids,” Moore said.

The plan doesn’t come without challenges. It will require teachers to make some changes that could face resistance, Moore said.

While Marcus Whitman’s new building, paid for as part of a $98 million bond approved in 2013, will be better suited to deal with an increasingly technology-driven approach to education, that doesn’t cover other instructional materials staff might want or pay for field trips. School board members recently discussed the proposal and raised concerns about space availability.

But board President Rick Jansons told the Herald that the financial needs of the proposal aren’t a deal breaker, noting the school likely won’t need “the level of hundreds of thousands of dollars” to carry out its ideas. He said he also appreciated the innovative approach, a mindset that STEM seeks to teach.

“It’s homegrown,” Jansons said.

This story was originally published February 7, 2016 at 9:23 PM with the headline "Richland’s Marcus Whitman mulling STEM opportunities."