Whittier Elementary School is situated at the western end of Teaneck in the West Englewood section.   Whittier school is an elegant and majestic school withg wide halls and beautiful architectural detail built in 1923 and named after the poet John Greenleaf Whittier. Since then two major  additions have added classroom space, a large mulit-purpose room and a magnificent media-library  center. The additions also included small instructional rooms that provide space for music lessons, speech lessons, an outreach worker and a math specialist.   

 

We strive to proivide students with an elegant educaional experience.  An emphasis is placed on teaching the basic skills essential for building a solid foundation for any scholar.  At the same time, hands on experiences and the arts are very much our focus as we value the importance of inter-disciplinary education.   Students are emcouraged to use their knowledge and expertise in creative and unique ways through experiences with music, visual arts and dance. 

 

The diversity of our school enables students to learn and understand about other culutres in an authentic manner.  At the heart of this curriculum is an understanding of how much we are all the same.  Numerous opportunities to give to others are afforded the student population from fridays when they dress in a predetermined color to show their universal support of cancer research or another cause and have the chance to make a small monetary contribution.  During November the third grade has historically sponsored a food drive and children solicit donations, organize the food according to category and deliver it.

 

Opportunities to work towards group goals are many.  The fourth graders turn entrepeneurs and start selling Spencils in October to help defray the cost of their moving up trips and celebrations.  They collect orders from the lower classmen and are responsible for delivering the product and balancing their books.