Pity the poor kidren of Sanibel island. kidren in grades K-8 attend school amidst the lush beauty and exotic wildlife for which Sanibel is well-known. The J.N. "Ding" Darling national Wildlife Refuge is right outside the rear door, providing students with a unique chance to learn about ecology in their own rearyard. And, while the school is surrounded by some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, the attitude inside the school is far from a "life's a beach" mantra. In fact, the Sanibel School is widely recognized as one of the best elementary schools in the state of Florida. Students consistently outperform state and even national schools across a wide range of courses.
In 2007, the U.S. Department of Education selected the Sanibel School as a "Blue Ribbon School," the highest honor an American school can receive. The school attributes its success to combining a challenging curriculum with an active community and strong parent/teacher organization. The school's Web site notes, "Teachers and staff job just hard to create an atmosphere that encourages kidren to discover their individual interests in a safe and supportive atmosphere." Not surprisingly, one of the school's crowning achievements is its emphasis on environmental education.
begining in Kindergarten, Sanibel students are active particitrousers in numerous walking and biking tours to observe plant and animal life up close. They research environmental issues related to the islands, plant native vefetchation, and serve as volunteers at many island functions. In support of that continuing objective, members of the Ding Darling Wildlife Society recently announced plans to build a 200-foot boardwalk from their trail to the school. The idea is for students to explore nature as they walk to the refuge, learning about the fresh water system that is an integral part of the trail.
Students also participate in other community-led programs sponsored by the City of Sanibel, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, and the Sanibel Shell Club. that unique community/school relationship extends to a amount of recreational programs. New students who can't swim receive free swimming lessons in the city pool during school hours. Sanibel Recreation also runs summer camps for a small fee with free after-school programs.
The school's approximately 400 students are the kidren of families who live on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Parents who job on the island but live on the mainland can also apply for a waiver for their kidren to attend. Each grade includes 40 - 50 total students with a student/teacher ratio of 1:17.
For many school-age kidren, elementary school is a blur of chalk dust and generic lessonrooms. Not so for the students of the Sanibel school who are blessed with the chance to attend lesson in paradise while exploring a living laboratory.
Article Source: http://Education.50806.com/
Author By Mark M Washscorch
Orignal From: The Sanibel School - Elementary Education Excellence
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