Teaneck High School

Whittier Elementary School is situated at the western end of Teaneck in the West Englewood section. Whittier School is an elegant and majestic school with wide halls and beautiful architectural detail. Built in 1923 and named after the poet John Greenleaf, two major additions have added classroom space, a large mulit-purpose room and a magnificent media-library center. These additions also included small instructional rooms that provide space for music lessons, speech lessons, and office space for an outreach worker, and math and literacy specialists. We strive to proivide students with an elegant educaional experience. We emphasize the importance of teaching the basic skills essential for when developing 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, dance and physical education. 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. Opportunities vary and often students respond to events in international news collectijg money or supplies for a country that has experienced unusual hardship. Third grade has sponsored many of our drives. During November the third grade sponsors a food drive and soliciting donations that are given to a local food pantry. They organize our participation in a Scholastic pajama and book drive--that supplies p.j.s and books to children whose families are in shelters, temporary housing or other facilities. School climate is important to us. We are always trying to brainstorm more opportunities. for the grade levels to interact in meaningful ways. Our reading buddy program provides opportunities for fourth graders to read with kindergarten and first grade students. The reissuing of the Greenleaf Literary Magazine reflects our interest in promoting whole school projects. All students are encouraged to submit work to be published in Greenleaf.