About

The above video was produced in 2014.

Whittier Vision and Mission

WHITTIER OFFERS A WONDERFULLY UNIQUE ELEMENTARY EXPERIENCE:

  • We are the only International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program in BVSD.

  • We are one of the most diverse school communities in Boulder County with students from many cultures, countries, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds and gender expressions. We celebrate our diversity!

  • We are a relatively small school community and work to foster meaningful relationships.

  • Our staff are highly-trained, highly-committed, educators who work as collaborative teams to offer every child the best experience.

  • Our social emotional climate is the heart of what we do. We have partnered with Passageworks over many years to ensure we all come from the same foundation of integrated, engaging experiences that value all learners and help students strengthen their own emotional self-awareness and skill set. This includes a very strong counseling program.

  • Our teachers are masters in differentiation to support the wide variety of students in their classrooms and we offer a range of intervention supports for students’ unique needs.

  • As a Family Resource School (FRS), Whittier supports the needs of families through an FRS Family Outreach Coordinator and our FRS therapist.

  • We offer Spanish language instruction (although we are not a bilingual program).

  • Our parent community is invited to be engaged citizens creating our community with us. Parents volunteer in countless ways and give generously to support our programs.

  • Thanks to the support of our parent community, we employ more paraeducator support than most schools with an extra assistant teacher for every grade.

 

A few other aspects of all BVSD Elementary programs that you should know about:

  • All schools are staffed by the same formula for class size which hovers around 25 students per homeroom teacher.

  • Art, Music and PE classes are offered to all students on a rotating basis for 50 minutes each day.  Our teachers for these classes offer the best education in these subjects.

  • Our award-winning school lunch program offers students locally-sourced and often organic meals scratch-cooked.

  • Students have chromebooks available as needed to enhance learning. Whittier emphasizes digital citizenship and has an award-winning librarian supporting our offerings.

  • After-school childcare is offered by the BVSD School Age Care (SAC) program. Our SAC Staff so far will be current Whittier staff members who we know and love!  Natasha Smith will be the SAC Supervisor and Antonio Castro will be Assistant Supervisor.

Whittier International - a Historic Landmark

Built in 1882, Whittier is a designated Historic Landmark, Colorado's oldest continuously operating school. The original Pine Street School was renamed for poet John Greenleaf Whittier, after he wrote back to student Effie Titus, an early Boulder 6th grader, who was in love with his poem, "Snowbound.

Whittier Elem in the early 1900's
Front of Whittier Elementary
February 2022 - Aerial photo of Whittier

February 2022 - Aerial photo of Whittier