CSD Celebrated as FieldSTEM District of the Year

LEAVENWORTH-  On Oct. 6 in Lacey, Washington, Cascade School District (CSD) will receive an award for FieldSTEM District of the Year for all of Washington State, as recognized by the Pacific Education Institute (PEI).

The letter announcing the recognition stated, “PEI is committed to a world where scientifically literate citizens are making balanced decisions for just and sustainable communities. We know that engaged, committed and hard-working teachers and administrators implementing FieldSTEM across the state are critical to that vision. We want to elevate and celebrate districts like [CSD] that are leading by example in your community.”

When the school board and superintendent Tracey Edou hammered out a strategic framework in 2020, they identified for the first time “the outdoors” as one of six core values, which also includes every student: quality education, inclusive diversity, connected relationships, and artful creativity. The values prompted actionable strategies, including a new partnership with PEI to conduct teacher training around FieldSTEM implementation.

At every level of the district, there are examples of putting the value of the outdoors into practice. An outdoor classroom at Peshastin Dryden Elementary (PD) is a short walk away, tucked under maple trees near the river, and serves as a learning oasis used by all the teachers. Transitional kindergarten teacher Karlye Risdon brings her class there almost daily. “The space lends itself well to science-related topics, but I will use it for any subject matter,” she said. Another outdoor classroom will be installed outside Icicle River Middle School (IRMS) shortly.

IRMS and Cascade High School (CHS) also have Rattlesnake Hill in their backyard, offering a range of learning possibilities around physical exercise, creative arts, or scientific studies.

Eric Bard’s natural resource class at CHS epitomizes FieldSTEM. The students spend many class periods outdoors, armed with lab manuals and clipboards, for soil sampling, plant ID, restoration projects, and more—Bard partners with local experts who share their knowledge about the applications and career paths in natural resources. Students can gain a firsthand understanding of the City of Leavenworth’s wastewater treatment facility via an onsite tour. Additional topics related to local projects include how beavers aid in riparian and wetland restoration, the many native plants that serve as drought-resistant and fire-wise landscape choices, mitigation efforts to reduce bear encounters in Leavenworth, and the use of snow science to judge avalanche risk.

On a recent morning, Bard led his students partway up Rattlesnake Hill. The purpose was soil sampling, but for a holistic view of the site, students also had to identify the native plants and orient their maps showing the geology of the North Cascades. The class talked about how the hillside was dotted with rocks and glacial erratics common to glacial moraines, which would indicate a potentially sandy soil type.

Everyone had to get their hands dirty for the soil test, literally. Wetting a handful of soil, students gauged the grittiness and squeezed a ribbon between thumb and forefinger. The noticeably gritty ribbons broke easily, so the soil type was categorized as sandy loam, which differed from a prior silty loam sample they took near the soccer field. Bard emphasized that the soil types tell stories about the deposition history. Using the depth of soil and a bit of math, the students determined that around here, it can take 4,000 years to build up a foot of soil, making it a resource that should be managed with care.

In Plain, another class gathered outside the Beaver Valley School (BVS), the district’s two-classroom school. Eric Tiegel’s class of 2^nd to 4^th graders stood in a circle in the grass, and each student held a ukulele. This exemplifies how FieldSTEM goes beyond science classes. Every subject can incorporate the outdoors.

Tiegel led the first exercise of rhythmic tapping on the back of the body. Next, they collectively strummed a C chord to four counts. Tiegel then tasked them with creating their own rhythm within eight counts that could be repeated.

The students scattered in groups of one to four to brainstorm and practice a rhythm; some sat in the grass while others chose the picnic tables or BVS’s grassy knoll play area. The outdoors provided space for creative freedom that wouldn’t be possible inside a classroom. When the class regrouped, students shared their rhythm, and Tiegel asked the listeners to describe what they heard and saw. The students dispersed a second time to hone or improve their rhythm and then shared it again with the group.

Outdoor time takes many forms for Tiegel’s class. They can follow a path to the river, which is a good spot to throw rocks and to think scientifically when they measure the river height, check on the ice in winter, and release lamprey, which they do annually, helping the Yakama Nation. Like the high schoolers, these students get to think about places when Tiegel has them pick a “spot” on the school grounds and draw a map showing the spot in relation to the nearby buildings and structures, and trees. And mid-fall, the whole school will have an overnight campout that includes stargazing using telescopes loaned by Washington State Parks.

Home Link classes under the direction of teachers Shanda Holm and Daena Medina are modeled with outdoor experiential education in mind. One recent example was a unit on the Wenatchee River. Through field trips and expert presentations, students gained an understanding of river ecology, the history, and use of the Wenatchee River, including dams, fish ladders, Indigenous customs and practices, and recreation, and how the diverse needs must be considered when political leaders make decisions.

These are some of the creative ways that staff at CSD have found to incorporate the outdoors into their curricula, illuminating a culture shift that elevates the value of the outdoors for how it can nurture creativity, curiosity about the world, and a healthy, active lifestyle.

“Getting outdoors makes it easier to learn,” commented one high school student in the natural resources class. “We get to know more about where we live. It’s important.”

Edou, CSD Board Chair Trey Ising, and PD principal Emily Ross will travel to Lacey to accept the “District of the Year” award at a celebration that will include a video highlighting CSD’s FieldSTEM efforts.