Unique School Spaces Offer Joy, Freedom, and Health to Students and Community
Whitaker Elementary School
El Paso, Texas
As a leader in Social and Emotional Health programming, Whitaker Elementary School of El Paso Independent School District is creating a space where their children and families can play, learn, grow and just be! Whitaker Elementary School was built to inspire imagination, and the community has rallied together to help bring the “Be Hive” to life.
As a Title 1 school with a predominantly low-income population, funding this big of a project was difficult to imagine. After being identified as the only elementary school in the county to fail to meet state academic standards, the school climate was struggling and a shift was needed. Piece by piece, Whitaker worked towards their goals – always keeping the dream of the Be Hive in the back of their mind. The district, in collaboration with parents and the community, made changes in the school administration and provided instruction in new teaching methods. Rather than focusing on “teaching to the test,” the new focus for the school was on the children, and part of that was bringing joy back to the school, community and its teachers. So, a group of parents decided to do just that.
Each room of the Be Hive serves a different purpose and is designed to support children and families in unique ways. The central room area serves as a gathering space with music, games and other interactive activities—a space where parent and community events can also be hosted. The kitchen serves as a space where garden club can host garden events or explore new foods with healthy taste tests. Community partners have supported the selection of paint colors using the science behind color selection and the design of spaces for children who just need to “reset” in order to be successful in school. The bedrooms of the house are being transformed into the build, create, and dream rooms to inspire the imagination and encourage creativity and experiential learning through unstructured play. Donations from the community have started to dress the house with items including a piano, furniture and light fixtures, and even a NICU-style incubator that will be used for hatching!
Parents have become partners in education at Whitaker. They read in classrooms, teach gardening classes, support the coaches in bike rodeo days and kite flying. Whitaker is a space to be yourself, to acknowledge your dreams, and to work with and learn from others. Staff, students and families are thankful for the support they’ve received from Action for Healthy Kids and are looking forward to helping other schools follow their own path to find a seat at the table and design the tools needed to make a difference.
This grant was made possible with funding from GoGo squeeZ.