Open Window School

Open Window School is an independent school for students in Kindergarten through Eighth Grade who have been formally identified as intellectually gifted. It is located in Bellevue, Washington, on Cougar Mountain and accredited by the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS).

Open Window School
Location
Bellevue
,
Washington

United States
Information
TypeIndependent (NWAIS Accredited)
Established1983
LocaleSuburban
Head of SchoolElaine Christensen
GradesK-8
Number of students340
Color(s)Cardinal and Black
Religious AffiliationNone
Websitewww.openwindowschool.org

Its 7.6-acre campus is located at 6128 168th Pl SE, Bellevue.

Open Window currently has 340 enrolled students.[1] The lower school student-teacher ratio is 9:1, with an average of 18 students and 2 teachers in each classroom. The middle school, covering grades 5-8, enrolls approximately 140 students.

  • Heckerman Hall, the K-4 building
  • Robinson Hall, the 6-8 grade building
  • Farmhouse, the operations building

Achievements

Open Window uses technology to enhance learning. This extends from a state of the art Innovation and Technology Lab to the school's use of social media. Innovation and Technology Director Adrienne Gifford was named Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE) Technology Leader of the Year in 2016. In early 2014, a group of five seventh graders won the highest honor, "Best in Nation" in the second Verizon Innovative App Challenge for the app they created. In January 2015, a project by a sixth grader won first prize in the Future Engineers 3D Printing Space Challenge. This pupil designed a Space Planter to be 3D printed on the International Space Station.[2] A group of five middle school students won the 2016 Verizon App Challenge Best in Region Award, designing an App to serve patients suffering from neurological diseases.[3]

During the 2015-16 school year, Open Window was one of 22 schools in the United States and Canada invited to participate in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program. Working in collaborative teams, fourth through eighth grade students designed microgravity experiments and an outside panel of researchers chose one of the seventh grade experiments to be conducted on the International Space Station.[4]

Athletics & Extra-Curricular Programs

The school's athletic programs currently include cross country, golf, tennis, basketball, soccer, Ultimate Frisbee, track and field, and volleyball. The Girls Volleyball team completed an undefeated season in 2014. The school mascot is Rufus the Bobcat. Eighth graders have the opportunity to be the Bobcat at various school events. In addition to athletics, the school offers students the opportunity to compete in chess, debate, Model United Nations, and robotics.

  • Innovation & Tech Lab
  • Traverse Wall in Roper Gym
  • Rufus the Bobcat

References
  1. http://www.nwais.org/page.cfm?p=103
  2. "Open Window student's 'Space Planter' wins NASA 3-D printing design challenge - Bellevue Reporter". Bellevue Reporter. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  3. "Grandmother's disease inspires Bellevue students to create award-winning app - Bellevue Reporter". Bellevue Reporter. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  4. http://www.bellevuereporter.com/news/open-window-school-students-developing-experiment-to-send-to-space/

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