Whittier Elementary School

[Anonymous]

Hello, what can you tell me about Whittier Elementary School? We are in bound for it and have a child who is about to enter Kindergarten. We are also considering moving. We are looking for a program that will give our kids a solid foundation with the basics, that our child will love going to, with strong community. Is Whittier that or should we look elsewhere?

[Anonymous]

Also, which is better - Whittier or John Lewis?

[Anonymous]

Yes yes yes and Whittier is better for you, especially if it’s you’re in boundary school

[Anonymous]

It’s a good school, nice community. Will be getting renovated soon, will be in nearby swing space for a few years.

[Anonymous]

Where has your kid been going for PK?

I would pick Whittier over Lewis for academics, but I'm not excited about putting temporaries on the lawn during construction, especially with the semi-frequent shootings in that immediate area. I'd rather go to an actual building for the swing space, but the "modular campus" was a pet project of George's and she seems to have gotten her way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where has your kid been going for PK?

I would pick Whittier over Lewis for academics, but I'm not excited about putting temporaries on the lawn during construction, especially with the semi-frequent shootings in that immediate area. I'd rather go to an actual building for the swing space, but the "modular campus" was a pet project of George's and she seems to have gotten her way.

The school community pushed really hard for the modular buildings. They pulled Janeese into it and ran a really strong campaign advocating for the modular spaces. It was an impressive showing from the parent community and faculty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where has your kid been going for PK?

I would pick Whittier over Lewis for academics, but I'm not excited about putting temporaries on the lawn during construction, especially with the semi-frequent shootings in that immediate area. I'd rather go to an actual building for the swing space, but the "modular campus" was a pet project of George's and she seems to have gotten her way.

The school community pushed really hard for the modular buildings. They pulled Janeese into it and ran a really strong campaign advocating for the modular spaces. It was an impressive showing from the parent community and faculty.

Yeah, I'm not directly involved with the Whittier community but I do live in the neighborhood and second what the reply says. This was definitely a parent-driven effort, not a JLG "pet project"

[Anonymous]

Anyone know if Whittier has an art room or does the art teacher travel on an art cart?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know if Whittier has an art room or does the art teacher travel on an art cart?

Whittier has an art room. Or at least it did when my kid went there a few years ago. Art teacher was pretty awesome too. Not sure if she’s still there.

[Anonymous]

When will Whittier be in a swing space and for how long?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When will Whittier be in a swing space and for how long?

Fall 2026 to the end of the 2027-2028 school year. So two more years in the current building and two years in a swing space. The building itself needs a ton of work.

[Anonymous]

Thank you. The swing space will be in trailers on the Whittier property, correct?

[Anonymous]

Whittier has the rats of NIMH but stronger academics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. The swing space will be in trailers on the Whittier property, correct?

They have not selected a location yet. My guess is they’ll be across the street, somewhere on the Coolidge/Wells campus. When Coolidge was renovated, they had a trailer campus on the green space just north of the school, at the corner of Underwood and 5th.

[Anonymous]

Whittier has neither an art room nor an art teacher. Due to the STEM focus, the special subjects are Spanish, Library, PE, Performing Arts, and STEM. No dedicated art class.

It does have a good community and it is great to get to know families in the neighborhood. The academics are good. I have not been pleased with how they have handled some behavior incidents with the older grades.

No place is perfect. Whittier has a lot of pros.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know if Whittier has an art room or does the art teacher travel on an art cart?

Whittier has an art room. Or at least it did when my kid went there a few years ago. Art teacher was pretty awesome too. Not sure if she’s still there.