Lowell School (Washington, D.C.)

Lowell School
Location
Washington, D.C.
Information
Type	Independent school
Established	1965
Head of school	Debbie Gibbs
Enrollment	290
Color(s)	green, white
Mascot	Leopard
Information	(202) 577-2000
Publications	The Lowell Legend (Newspaper) Lowell Out Loud (Literary Magazine) The Lowell Loop (Newsletter)
Website	http://www.lowellschool.org

Lowell School is an independent, co-educational Pre-Primary through 6th Grade school located in the Colonial Village neighborhood of Washington, D.C. With an innovative, thematic curriculum that is active, collaborative and rigorous, Lowell fosters learning, embraces diversity and offers an inclusive community that celebrates the strengths of each child. The school’s mission, which is rooted in the educational philosophy of Haim Ginott, John Dewey and Jean Piaget is to strengthen minds, ensure equity and honor individuality.

Curriculum and Teaching

Lowell's Primary curriculum integrates academics, arts, technology and physical education, and uses Essential Themes as its organizing principle. These powerful themes or concepts, such as patterns and community, generate overarching essential questions to shape and unify each grade level's curriculum. They provide a deep and rich context for inquiry and learning, and encourage asking questions, discovering connections and relationships, and comparing, analyzing and synthesizing knowledge.

Pre-Primary students explore the wonders of the natural world, engage in creative expression and gain the skills they need to flourish as learners.

A strong social curriculum, used in both the Pre-Primary and Primary divisions, complements the academic curriculum and helps students develop interpersonal skills, multicultural understanding and community engagement.

Lowell faculty couple innovative, progressive teaching methods with more traditional "tried and true" practices. The classrooms are purposeful, focused settings for learning. Opportunities abound for active, engaged learning where the teacher acts as facilitator and guide. Lowell places a high priority on helping children acquire strong basic skills and deep, conceptual understanding at a challenging and developmentally appropriate pace.

School History

Lowell was founded in 1965 by Judith Grant and Susan Semple. It began as nursery school in the basement of Cleveland Park Congregational Church at 34th and Lowell Streets, N.W. The annual tuition was only $325. Gail Shandler joined the Lowell staff in 1966 and went on to become the school’s first director. In 1975 the school added a Kindergarten. Growing enrollment caused the school to move in 1978 to the Sixth Presbyterian Church on 16th and Kennedy Streets, N.W., making it one of the first independent schools to be located on the east side of Rock Creek Park.

The 1980s were busy years at Lowell. In 1983 1st grade was added and in 1984, in addition to adding 2nd grade, the Parents Association was formed and remains a cornerstone of the school today. In 1985 Annual Giving was instituted in order to fund financial aid and ensure that the school remained financially accessible. The Lowell library opened in 1986 with 400 volumes, far fewer than the 10,000 volumes on the shelves today. In 1987 Lowell expanded to 3rd grade, and a year later Gail Shandler resigned and Abigail Wiebenson, formerly the head of the lower school at Georgetown Day School, became the second head of school. Finally, in 1989 Lowell purchased the Himmelfarb mansion at 16th and Decatur Streets, N.W. and moved into its own building in October of that year.

In the 1990s Lowell was accredited by the Association of Independent Maryland Schools, moved to its present Kalmia campus and expanded through 5th grade. In 2001 the first 6th grade class was added. Lowell celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2005-06 and in 2007 appointed its third head of school, Debbie Gibbs, who had been a longstanding administrator at Marin Country Day School in California.

Expansion Plans

This year Lowell is planning to expand once again to include a middle school. It is Lowell’s goal to add 7th grade in 2011 and 8th grade in 2012. In the fall of 2010 the 6th grade will move to Parkside, which will eventually be renovated to include an atrium, a blackbox theater, updated classrooms and an art studio. The middle school will give students a chance to find out more about themselves as learners and individuals before they have to change schools. Students in the middle school will study math, science, humanities, Spanish, art, dance, music and physical education in addition to participating in advisories and after school sports. The head of the middle school will be Moira Regan, who will also be one of the teachers.

Campus

Lowell School occupies a spacious and historic campus, complete with four buildings, two playgrounds, a field and a stream. The main building contains classrooms, the Pre-Primary rooms, a gym, a creative movement space, a swimming pool, a technology lab, two libraries, two art workshops and a dance studio. The second building, Parkside, which is next to Rock Creek Park, holds two science labs, Spanish classrooms, music rooms and a theater. Next year the 6th grade classrooms are going to be moved there. (See Expansion Plans above) Marjorie Webster House, yet another building bordering Kalmia Road, houses a creative woodshop, conference spaces, additional offices and the Admissions Office.

The 8-acre campus bordering Rock Creek Park has a long history. Records show that the property was a working farm called Clouin Course in the 1840s. Further evidence of its history still exists on the campus: a 150 year-old spring house with a small pond beside it. Today the 8 acres and the stream which the school daylighted soon after acquiring the property are used as an outdoor classroom where students learn how to grow vegetables, and observe and care for the environment.

In 1928, the property became The Marjorie Webster School of Expression and Physical Education, which later became known as Marjorie Webster Junior College, a two-year, private junior college for women. The school operated until 1971. Six years later the property was sold to the United States Fire Administration as a training academy. They used the building for practice purposes. For example, they sprayed water on it to practice putting out fires.

A few years later the campus was abandoned. It began to deteriorate, but in 1983 it was purchased and renovated by Gallaudet College and became a satellite campus. In 1997, the property was acquired by Lowell School; the buildings were once again renovated, and the school moved in at the start of the 1999 school year.

Community Service

Lowell students are not only very involved in academics, they are also very involved in communities inside and outside of Lowell. The 6th grade amabassadorships are an opportunity for students to work on their leadership skills and help the school. There are admissions ambassadors, Gathering ambassadors and ambassadors who work with different teachers and classes.

Lowell students are also involved with our local communities. A new program called, GoGirlGo! (which is based on a program of the same name developed by the Women's Sports Foundation) provided girls with a time to meet for discussions and to organize a toiletry drive and make granola for a local women’s shelter. This past fall all 4th-6th grade students volunteered for a day with the Mid-Atlantic Gleaning Network, picking and bagging kale and collard greens at a nearby farm.

This past winter the student council organized a donation drive for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Kids made over 50 posters and collected more than a thousand dollars for Haiti. Not only does Lowell help people, but students also help the environment. Last year 4th graders started collecting Capri Sun juice pouches and sending them to an organization called Terracycle that turns otherwise useless juice pouches into lunch boxes, backpacks and other useful supplies. Students have sent over 2,700 pouches to Terracycle. Lowell is a place where community is important and students try to help others.

Electives

Lowell students in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades participate in Electives. At the beginning of each semester the students select their top three choices from a list of many different types of classes. The 4th through 6th grade teachers often teach an elective. The elective classes meet once a week.

There have been many different elective classes, including Public Art, Creative Writing, Newspaper, Stitch and Stir Fry, Math Games, Public Speaking, Wikipedia Writing and more. Electives are fun because students get the privilege of choosing one of their classes. They get to choose a subject that they are interested in and learn about it.