Lewis and Clark Elementary principal details student services, reading program and outdoor classroom

Elena Vanips, principal of Lewis and Clark Elementary, presented the school’s academic and student‑services work during the Missoula County Public Schools board meeting on June 2.

Vanips said Lewis and Clark serves 409 students and that approximately 25% qualify for free and reduced‑price meals. She described years of staff work on vertical alignment — teachers across grade bands reviewing student work to refine learning intentions and success criteria — and said the school is now focusing on reading following prior work in writing and math. The principal said the school has two center‑based programs (deaf/hard‑of‑hearing and a structured learning program) and that about 19% of students receive special education services.

Vanips highlighted inclusive practices built into everyday instruction: teachers intentionally model American Sign Language in the classroom, teach classmates about deaf culture, and coordinate interventions so students in structured learning programs spend most of the day in general education settings with support. She said the school has worked to build capacity among staff (many of whom have taken ASL courses) and to integrate supports such as behavior interventionists and counselors into classroom instruction.

The principal described a volunteer reading program called ROW (Reading Opens Your World), which pairs community mentors with students one day a week for 30 minutes; volunteers include parents, grandparents, college and high‑school students. Vanips said the program has improved students’ confidence and attendance on reading days. She also described plans to revive the school’s outdoor discovery center — a decades‑old outdoor classroom that uses Montana native plants and provides hands‑on science learning — and noted an Eagle Scout project that will replace benches and signage this fall.

Trustees asked questions about program counts (Vanips said 10 students were in the structured learning program and 5 students actively using ASL supports at the school) and congratulated the staff for extracurricular successes (a Battle of the Books victory).