Primerly field report

Sunnyside Environmental School

a tuition-free public focus option in Portland

K–8 · Public · Focus Option · Environmental Science · Portland Public Schools

3421 SE Salmon St, 97214 · Dr. Eryn Berg

Sunnyside weaves place-based environmental science into every subject. Instruction is organized around yearly themes (River, Forest, Mountain and Ocean in middle school) that pull science, social studies, writing, math and art into year-long inquiries. Teachers use the Scottish Storyline Method, a narrative approach where students create characters and work through a shared scenario to practice academic skills in context. Every grade tends its own vegetable beds in the school garden, students cook in a community kitchen, and service learning runs through all grades.

The program deepens in middle school, where Thursdays are field-study days. Students go out to local rivers, forests and parks, and to partners like OMSI, SCRAP and the Bird Alliance of Oregon, to do research instead of reading about it. Each May, every middle school grade takes a marine biology overnight: 6th graders spend 3 days in Newport, 7th graders a week at Olympic National Park, and 8th graders a week at the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program on Santa Catalina Island. Middle schoolers also take required Spanish for high school credit, and advanced math students can take Compacted Math and 8th grade Algebra, also for high school credit.

• K–8 grades
• 456 students
• 18:1 student-teacher
• 25 average class
• Tuition-free focus option

Tuition: Tuition-Free Public

Address: 3421 SE Salmon St, 97214. Phone: (503) 916-6226. Website: www.pps.net/sunnyside.

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