Grand Ridge celebrates all things Washington
November 10, 2008
By Chantelle Lusebrink
Amy Wisler, a Grand Ridge Elementary School parent, calls out questions for students in the school’s Washington ‘Jeopardy!’ game during its Washington Products Festival. By Chantelle Lusebrink.
The smell of baked apples, smoked salmon lollipops and French fries greeted students and their families in the hallways at Grand Ridge Elementary School, where they celebrated all things Washington.
Dozens of families, with students in Rebecca Rappin’s and Chelsea Dziedzic’s classes, gathered at the school’s annual fourth-grade Washington Products Festival Oct. 30.
“We’ve been doing a product party since the school started and it’s a great way to celebrate the student’s learning,” Dziedzic said, adding the school doesn’t celebrate holidays.
Since the beginning of the year, students have been learning about the state, drawing maps of its location and its regions; learning about its industries, like agriculture and technology; and writing essays about the state.
“The central focus in fourth-grade social studies is to begin to understand the geography, history and products of Washington,” Dziedzic said. “In spring, we will study how Washington fits into the world, the Pacific Rim and the Washington economy.”
However, this is the first year the teachers have extended the festival outside the school day.
“We’ve been wanting to involve the parents for a while,” Dziedzic said. “I think it is a fun way to let our parents into the classroom and get to see what their students are working on.”
Families contributed one food item with a state product in it to the festival, the culmination of the students’ projects.
Virginia Le baked a fresh blackberry cobbler for the occasion and said she bought Remlinger Farms berries to ensure they were grown locally.
“We’re not from Washington. Neither myself nor my husband grew up here, so we’re learning a lot about the state by coming here,” Le said, adding they are both from Texas.
Her daughter, Melina Le, said her favorite part of the evening was playing festival games, like Pin the Product on Washington.
In addition to plenty of food, the festival had five stations where students and parents could test their knowledge of state regions and products to earn stamps on their state passport.
Teachers set up “Jeopardy!” and bingo games, a Washington graffiti wall for students to fill in and a craft table, where they could draw and color one of several native plants and products found in Washington, like a steelhead salmon or an apple.
“It’s a fun way for the kids to learn and absorb the material,” Virginia Le said.
Reach Reporter Chantelle Lusebrink at 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com.
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