How cool is this?

We received this press release from Windward School, one of the excellent enrichment programs run privately in Jefferson County for children and families wanting more than our public schools offer.  Here’s the story, then more on Windward School:

Smiles, shovels, and lots of mud were on this week’s learning agenda as students of both the Port Townsend and Sequim locations of Windward School spent the week digging for mastodon bones on a Chimacum farm. Led by teacher Elisa Weiss, the students spent the week before the field trip learning about geology and fossils, and gathered to further their education by searching for real life treasures at the farm of a friend of the school.

Rudy Groussman, Yemma Kubica and Matilda Shaw search the mud for bones

The bones were discovered over the summer when the landowner began excavation for a pond. He kindly gave permission for Windward students to access the dig and put in a few hours making their own discoveries. “One of the great things about these being mastodon bones is that they’re relatively young,” said Weiss, a lead teacher with Windward School. “So we can have young kids digging for them without worrying too much about how delicate they are, unlike if they were dinosaur fossils, millions of years old.” The bones are estimated to be as young as 10,000 years old. Weiss plans to integrate the students’ discoveries into class discussions next week that focus on what life was like for animals and people in our region 10,000 years ago, and how humans can affect species’ existence over time.

Teacher Elisa Weiss talks to students about bones they unearthed. Zeke Banks listens.

“I had a lot of fun digging up the mastodon bones!” said Zeke Banks, age 9. “We found a lot of bones and I hope we get to do it again. Next I want to find out where I can go dig some dinosaur fossils.” In addition to many small bones, the students excavated a tusk, vertebrae, teeth, and several large, still unidentified bones.

Windward originated as an unnamed pilot program at the NW Discovery Lab. NW Discovery Lab is a Port Townsend-based non-profit dedicated to STEM education on the Olympic Peninsula.

Windward formally began operations at Fort Worden in September 2017 and has quickly grown to 80 students, roughly 50 from Port Townsend and 30 from Sequim. The school has two lead teachers, two assistants and project teachers offering afternoon classes in focused subjects such as poetry, science, biology and drama.

The cost is $75 per class day attended.  Windward is open to all students regardless of age, gender, or religion.  Students range in age from 5 to 12 and in achievement from those still learning to read to college-level readers.  In other words, they have some kids at those young ages reading at the level of college students.

Windward is a secular program that partners with 4-H.  Port Townsend Free Press previously reported on some of their kids’ helping bees with a project at the Jefferson County Fair. You can read that story by clicking here.

For more information on Windward School contact Danell Swim-Mackey, danell@nwdiscoverylab.org

For more on the cool dig, visit the website for Windward and the NW Discovery Lab: https://news.nwdiscoverylab.org/category/news/windward/

That is Evan Mackey in the lead photo showing the size of a mastodon molar the kids found.