Across Washington, public schools are preparing students not just to graduate, but to thrive. By building skills like critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and civic engagement, students gain the tools they need to succeed in college, careers, and community life.
Every February, 4th grade students in Washougal School District participate in a unique hands-on experience: building their own wooden toolboxes. The project pairs elementary students with high school and adult mentors to build real-world skills.
Students in the Washougal High School Green Team are leading a hands-on project to transform their school courtyard into a native habitat learning space. Through planning, collaboration, and on-site restoration work, students are building real-world skills while working toward Backyard Habitat Certification.
Fourth-grade students in Washougal took their science and math lessons beyond the classroom walls through an innovative birdhouse building project. Washougal High School Woods Technology classes created the birdhouse kits, while middle school students from Canyon Creek and Jemtegaard Middle Schools provided direct support to Cape Horn-Skye and Columbia River Gorge Elementary students, mentoring the younger students through the construction process.
Students in science class at Canyon Creek Middle School in Washougal are putting their engineering skills to work by designing crumple zones for model vehicles and testing how well they absorbed impact during a simulated crash.
Two student Knowledge Bowl teams faced off against their teachers in a practice round in Washougal School District. The students demonstrated exceptional skill and gamesmanship during the competition. Student teams demonstrated an exceptional ability to do math quickly.
Fifth graders from Columbia River Gorge Elementary headed outdoors this fall for a hands-on day of learning at Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Before the trip, educators with the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership visited classrooms to teach about bird species, native plants, and fish anatomy.
Students in Washougal High School’s Metals class are creating custom wind chimes that showcase their welding, measuring, and collaboration skills. The project combines creativity with technical precision as students work together to design, cut, and assemble each piece into a finished product.