Organizations we support
Winterberry Charter School
Situated downtown on the corner of 2nd and E Street, Winterberry is one of Anchorage’s newest K-6 charter schools. The school fosters a passion and enthusiasm for learning through its focus on hands-on experience. The curriculum there can be seen as an ascending spiral; every day, a strong foundation is laid for future learning, and every day, teachers build on that foundation by engaging the entire child and all of his or her senses.
Winterberry has already displayed a knack for creative solutions as construction delays have called for quick adjustments. Soon, classrooms will occupy the first two floors of an exquisite, towering glass building. In the meantime, Winterberry has striven to find housing for some 200 students. Churches around the Anchorage area have served as temporary school sites for Winterberry and its students.
Each day, Winterberry students learn in a nurturing and stress-free environment. Students are greeted every morning by a teacher with a gentle handshake and a welcoming smile-a pleasant way to start the day. Children gather in a harmony circle, holding hands and reciting a poem that includes the lines: “Oh, may each deed throughout the day/Be bright and strong and true/oh, golden Sun, like you.”
At each grade level, emphasis is on interactive play and sensory experience. In kindergarten, the curriculum is play-based; children engage in cooking, exploring nature while on adventure hikes, storytelling to develop listening skills, and playing games that strengthen rhythm. As students pass from grade to grade, creative opportunities abound: Third-graders garden to develop agricultural skills, while sixth grade students engage in theatrical performances and write business correspondence. Often, traditional but often impersonal tools like computers, books, and compasses are abandoned, the teachers guiding the way instead through form drawing which travels into geometry.
Winterberry Charter School is a wonderful alternative to the public school environment. It is state-funded under the Anchorage School District, so no tuition is required. Winterberry is proof that going to school and learning is fun.
For more information on Winterberry Charter School, log on to http://www.winterberry.org or call 301-1201.