Introducing Our New Pilot Project: The Multi-age Elementary School

For the past several years, the D.C. Everest Area School District has integrated innovative educational initiatives — such as personalized, independent, collaborative and hands-on, project-based learning; career and technical education; STEAM; student voice and choice — into our traditional classrooms. The purpose? To prepare our students for a 21st century workforce that is rapidly, and constantly, evolving. And to create fun, engaging and interesting opportunities that spark students’ curiosity and help them explore new interests, career paths or areas of study. To ensure our students are ready for a career, post-secondary education and life, we do our best to adapt our curriculum and instructional strategies — always looking to improve upon what we have in place. Change, after all, can be a good thing.

While we will continue to implement instructional and learning initiatives that foster collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, real-world problem solving, persistence and independence — skills critical for the 21st century — into our traditional classrooms, we also are taking a leap forward with a new pilot project. This fall, we opened the doors of our new Multi-age Elementary School, housed in the same building as the DCE IDEA Charter School.

Pam Gresser and Sarah Merz will serve as the instructors for 35 K-5 students in the one-room school. The learning space will be divided into a community area, a K-2 section, a 3-5 section and a maker’s space for hands-on projects. The Multi-age school will follow common core standards and participate in standardized state tests, but the open, multi-age classroom will enhance inquiry- and project-based learning, collaboration and personalized learning opportunities. Learn more about the Mulit-age Elementary School. 

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