Our sustainability program educates the students about the interconnectedness of human beings with other species and systems on Earth. It is centered around community, care, and conservation, preparing students to adopt lifelong habits that benefit the planet. Through interactive learning, after-school programming, and summer camps, students are introduced to sustainability topics and projects that are interwoven into curriculum and take full advantage of our beautiful 19-acre campus, located adjacent to the Aquidneck Land Trust. Whether growing food organically in Pennfield’s seven raised garden beds, implementing a schoolwide Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle program, or simply observing the diverse natural beauty of our unique campus, Pennfield students have every opportunity to develop a lifelong commitment to sustainable living. Students are taught, through direct experience, about personal responsibility for the stewardship of our planet, as well as the value and virtue of making kind connections with one another as fellow human beings.
Pennfield’s Lower School science curriculum focuses on hands-on learning and providing outdoor experiences that utilize our campus and Aquidneck Land Trust trail. Students actively explore science through dynamic activities and experiments while gaining a deeper understanding of scientific concepts. By fifth grade, students spend a majority of their class time and double-period labs going out into the field, conducting scientific experiments and inquiry, and reflecting in their journals to track progress.
6th graders concentrate on astronomy and Earth science, using experimentation and observation, prediction and collection, and analysis and presentation of data. Students master techniques for designing their own experiment for both written and graphic communication of data.
In 7th grade biology, students delve into the unity and diversity of biological evolution, inheritance and variation of traits, ecosystems and their interactions, and the history of biology and the scientists who shaped modern theories and practices. Students begin studies of growth, development, and reproduction of organisms along with their study of natural selection and adaptations. During lab periods, students observe cells under microscopes, dissect ocean animals, and develop possible solutions to specific engineering challenges.
Science study in 8th grade concentrates on human physiology and physics. By this level, students can independently apply the techniques of experimentation, data collection, and analysis they have been practicing in the previous years to create, conduct, document, and analyze their own experiments.
Pennfield’s science and sustainability programs empower students to think critically, ask meaningful questions, and take informed action. As they progress through each year, students develop not only a strong foundation in scientific inquiry but also a deep, personal connection to the natural world around them. Whether exploring local ecosystems, analyzing data from their own experiments, or engaging in environmental stewardship, Pennfield students emerge as thoughtful, capable, and compassionate learners—ready to embrace their role as responsible global citizens and stewards of the Earth.
