Ulysses Li Campise
Environment & Plan
W.H. Keister Elementary School
Offering grades K-4 W.H. Keister is an elementary school located in a building constructed in 1955 that underwent extensive renovations in 1999-2000. The school provides services such as English speakers of other languages and gifted and talented resources. The campus is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, a town in a rural setting of about 50 thousand inhabitants. Nearby both James Madison University and Eastern Mennonite University the school has consistent access to both student and first-year teachers.
Small School with Lots to Offer
Listed on the school's website are offerings including music, art, Reading First, Title I, physical education, speech-language, and guidance counseling in a building that includes a media center, gymnasium, large playground facilities, state of the art cafetorium, and computer labs.
Multiple Intelligence
As a multiple intelligence teaching strategy students at W. H. Keister were visited by literary mined aliens.
Aliens on the Roof
As part of reading month aliens visited the school's roof and brought snacks for the students.
Letters for the Aliens
Students wanted the Aliens to feel welcome so they wrote letter. The Aliens wanted to make friends with the students so they exchanged the letters for snacks.
Snack Exchange
The Aliens lowered a bucket was lowered down to the students with the snacks, which the students accepted and then returned to the aliens filled with letters.
Culturally Relevant Teaching Strategies
W.H. Keister is located in Harrisonburg, which is in the larger agricultural county of Rockingham. Students are largely from blue collar families, with many working on farms or for the city.
Farming in the City
Planting
With a farmers helm students replant seedlings to created a garden.
Milk
Harrisonburg is located in the Shenandoah Valley, home to Shenandoah's Pride milk. In a mobile milking trailer students learned how cows are milked.
Water
The City of Harrisonburg Water Treatment provided a visual aid showing the path fresh water takes to being treated by the city and then sent to homes.