From Creek Beds to Coding: Where Deep Roots Meet Broad Horizons

Al Gonzales and Chimacum Elementary Students

When you visit Al Gonzalez’s sixth-grade classroom in Chimacum Elementary, you

might find it empty. That’s because, for Mr. Gonzalez’s students, the most profound lessons don’t always happen inside. They also happen knee-deep in Chimacum Creek, sensors and nets in hand, studying the heartbeat of the Valley Near the Water. In Chimacum, a vibrant, hands-on environment where the world serves as the curriculum,

Mr. G. has been a Jedi Master and educational leader beyond Chimacum.

Al Gonzalez has been teaching since 1991, but his teaching is not old-school. A 2022

recipient of the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators and the

2021 Northwest Council for Computer Education NCCE) Outstanding Technology

Educator of the Year, Al blends environmental stewardship with technology literacy. His

students aren’t just memorizing formulas and crunching worksheets; they are using

water quality sensors to monitor part of our Salish Sea watershed, building and

programming robots, and even competing in Esports to sharpen their digital citizenship.

What drives Al is the belief that every student deserves access to the kind of learning

that feels relevant, meaningful, and alive. "I want kids to leave my class knowing they

can figure things out and do anything they want," he says. "That's what prepares them

for whatever comes next." The student experience is centered on "figuring things out."

It’s messy but rewarding.

While investigating insects found in water samples from the Chimacum Creek, Frankie

Davidson shares, “We are learning, but it’s not boring. It is better than textbooks. I have

learned a lot about salmon.” Paycen Terada says, “It’s interesting to watch the behavior

of the Caddisfly Larvae who fight with the other insects under the microscope.”

This spring, 53 sixth graders will trade the keyboard for a walking stick at NatureBridge

on Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park. This annual, multi-day immersion allows

kids to put their classroom theories to the test in one of the most inspiring places in the

Pacific Northwest. The annual outdoor education experience is planned and implemented by a team of staff, parents and volunteers at Chimacum Elementary School.

Whether they are hiking through old-growth forests or analyzing data in the lab, the goal

is to bridge between abstract concepts and real-world application. "Math can be

creative," Al says. "I want students to use what they already know and reason their way

to what they don't know yet. That’s a life skill." Whether it is through his work as an

Amplify Desmos Math Fellow or training teachers statewide in AI, his mission remains

the same: ensuring Chimacum students leave his class knowing they can tackle any

challenge the future holds.

In Al’s classroom, students gain the best of both worlds: a connection to the deep roots

of the Chimacum Valley and the broad horizons from using world-class technology. It is

here, between the creek and coding, that Chimacum’s students are engaging the world.