North Park Elementary School

It's almost the end of the school year and the NPES Class of 2026 is ready to spread their wings. They will be greatly missed by their teachers, the administrators, fellow students, and especially their third grade buddies. We are excited for them to share their humanity and talents with the world. Check out the wonderful high schools they are headed to in the fall.

We’re proud to celebrate Tate and Everett, two of our 7th graders, who represented NPES this week at a middle school golf tournament hosted by Lycée Français! They finished with a team score of 39, earning an impressive 9th place out of 27 teams.
Great job!

Our 8th graders put their math and engineering skills to the test during the annual “Storm the Castle” trebuchet competition led by Mr. Hotaling and Ms. Schubert. Students designed and launched trebuchets while using mathematics to calculate trajectory, force, distance, and other key variables. A fun and exciting way to see problem-solving and teamwork in action!

Earlier this week, the whole school came together for a joyful Rainbow Walk to celebrate friendship, inclusion, identity, and belonging ahead of Pride Month.

Students walked to Welles Park alongside their buddy classes dressed in bright colors and rainbow attire, creating a moving rainbow throughout the neighborhood. Along the way, we celebrated what makes our school community so special: kindness, connection, and pride in being ourselves.

Thank you to the NPES Diversity Action Team for organizing such a meaningful and uplifting event for our students and staff.

Our kindergarten scientists wrapped up an unforgettable life cycle unit with some very special new classmates!

Over the past few weeks, students observed chicken and duck eggs as they incubated, learned about the stages of the life cycle, and watched in amazement as the hatchlings made their big debut into the world. From carefully holding the baby chicks and ducklings to helping care for them in their brooder boxes, our students experienced hands-on learning at its very best.

One of the highlights was watching the ducklings splash and play in the sunshine during their first kiddie pool adventure.

This unit sparked curiosity, responsibility, compassion, and so much joy. What an incredible way to bring science to life for our youngest learners!

A huge thank you to Ms. Ardito and Teacher K for creating such a meaningful, hands-on experience for our kindergarteners and for giving these little hatchlings so much love and care along the way.

Recently, our middle school students had the exciting opportunity to learn from food scientists at Mars (yes—the candy company, not the planet!).

A big thank you to NPES parent Alan Littlechild and his team for sharing insights into their STEM careers, leading a hands-on strawberry DNA experiment, and, of course, treating our sixth, seventh, and eighth graders to some sweets!

Please join us on Wednesday, May 20, for the final installment of the NPES Social Justice Film Series: Counted Out.
This film investigates the biggest crises of our time through an unexpected lens: math. In our current information economy, math is everywhere. Through a mosaic of personal stories, expert interviews, and scenes of math transformation in action, Counted Out shows what’s at risk if we keep the status quo. Do we want an America in which most of us don’t consider ourselves “math people”? Where math proficiency goes down as students grow up? Or do we want a country where everyone can understand the math that undergirds our society—and can help shape it?

So proud of all the NPES artists who poured their hearts into creating their artwork. At NPES, we deeply believe that “every child is an artist, and the classroom is the child’s art studio.” This year students have successfully stepping into creative freedom and worked hard on envision ideas of their own, reflecting personal interests through art making and medium exploration.
Come check out the students’ artwork at tonight’s Faith Nielsen Fine Arts Night, and join us for the Band & Chorus performances as well as the Spring Parents Association meeting at 5:30.

Sunday evening’s NPES Holi celebration was incredible! Such a joyful gathering. Thanks to the wonderful NPES parents who made it happen again for our entire community:

Sneha Soni
Niyati Bhandari
Kushboo Rami-Patel
Maya Menon
Angela Heitz
Anita Denes
Harisha Haigh
Deepak Bhandari
Marcus Turnbow

And everyone who helped, including Amy Alessandri.

Holi is an ancient Hindu Festival of Colors celebrated each spring to mark the triumph of good over evil, the arrival of the new season, and the return of color to the natural world. And it’s become one of North Park’s most beloved celebrations.