West Hartford Public Schools

West Hartford Public Schools provides education for West Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States.

High schools

• Conard High School
• Hall High School

Middle schools

• Bristow Middle School
• King Philip Middle School
• Sedgwick Middle School

Elementary schools

• Aiken
• Braeburn
• Bugbee
• Charter Oak
• Duffy
• Edward W. Morley School
• Norfeldt
• Smith
• Webster Hill
• Whiting Lane
• Wolcott

Specific schools

Whiting Lane School

The school educates grades kindergarten through fifth, with an annual enrollment of approximately 450 students. As of 2006, the school principal is Dr. Nancy DePalma. In 2004, the school selected the owl as their mascot and by a vote of students the mascot was named "Flash".

In 1997, West Hartford wanted to expand the school to provide better service for pre-kindergarten and special education, so an addition comprising six pre-kindergarten rooms, six kindergarten rooms, and two special education rooms was built. The original building was built on a slope, with an upper and lower level and a small intermediate floor a half-floor between the two. The award-winning addition better joins the upper and lower levels with an L-shaped corridor. This corridor is brightly lit using natural light, and there is a courtyard to provide an enclosed outside area for the younger students to play. The addition was completed in September 1997.

Whiting Lane Elementary is recognized as a "Spirit of Life Award Winning School" for its exemplary Unified Sports program, in which regular ed students and special needs students collaborate in weekly sports, games, and cooperative activities. Whiting Lane also boasts Unified Music and Art classes for its special needs students in both K-5 and in its ELC (Early Learning Center) for preschoolers. Other programs and clubs include a "Be the Media" team and the CABE award winning student school newspaper called "The HOOT."

Whiting Lane won the first West Hartford Public Schools Conservation Challenge in 2008 wherein teachers, students, and staff successfully collaborated to achieve the highest percentage of energy reduction for the month of November in the district. Students continue to be enthusiastic about Conservation and "Going Green" intiatives, as evident by the "Bring Back the Greenhouse" campaign started in 2009. Students, faculty, and Whiting Lane families are currently raising money to rebuild a greenhouse on the Whiting Lane property. The school library media specialist, Lee Gluck, jumpstarted the campaign in an effort to provide students with a hands-on opportunity for students to learn about the environment by growing foods and other plants in a greenhouse classroom. There used to be greenhouses located on the property where the south parking lot now stands, but they were disassembled and moved to a different location in West Hartford. [1]

Webster Hill School

The school educates kindergarten through 5th grade, with an annual enrollment of approximately 500 students. The school principal is Jeff Wallowitz. Around 1999 to 2000 Webster Hill School decided to build four new Kindergarten rooms and a bigger school library. Also next to the school cafeteria there is a large courtyard with a butterfly house. In late September they open up the butterfly house and release the butterflies to allow them to migrate to Mexico.

Edward W. Morley School

Edward W. Morley School is an Elementary School in the West Hartford Public School District. It is distinguished by an extracurricular program MEDC which is a program that spans to any Elementary School student in any town.

Florence E. Smith School of Science, Math, and Technology

Smith School is a public school in West Hartford which educates students in preschool through fifth grade with an annual enrollment of just under 400 students. In 2001 Smith School was named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. department of education. Smith School's current principal is Delores Bolton. Smith School is a magnet school that specializes in the areas of science, math, and technology. About 80% of Smith School's students live in the Smith School neighborhood and about 20% of Smith School's students are magnet students and come from other elementary school neighborhoods in West Hartford. Smith School's magnet status allows it to offer advantages in the areas of science, math and technology to all of its students. For example, Smith School is the only public elementary school that has a fully functional science laboratory. Also, the school offers math enrichment to students that is in addition to the mandated curriculum of the school district. Lastly, the school has a variety of technology available for students including Smartboards in every classroom, 2 mobile labs including 25 lap tops each, graphire tablets, digital cameras and video camers, flip cameras, individual log-ins and network space for students, a "Be the Media" club, and a daily live televised morning announcement program known as "Smith TV." The Smith School PTO and parents are actively involved with the school and its magnet status by participating in programs such as the Smith School Magnet Committee. [2]

External links

• Whiting Lane School website
• Whiting Lane School profile provided by schooltree.org
• Whiting Lane School profile provided by publicschoolsreport.com

External links

• Official site
• 2003-2004 Reports for No Child Left Behind