Elementary Institute of Science

Kennedy Elementary School science teacher Tom Watts began the club that would become the Elementary Institute of Science (EIS) in 1964 with a few curious children and an old 40-gallon aquarium that had been home to a couple of snakes. The kids were invited to stay after school to help fix the beat-up aquarium in the back of Watts' classroom. With the help of William Stephens, who made weekly runs to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, the aquarium was filled with sea life - octopi, sea cucumbers, and some salt-water fish.

"We invited them to study fish, water, plants, and themselves," the late Watts explained. "What I realized is that children weren't receiving science as we traditionally taught it, because they weren't involved in the educational process. That aquarium was the start of getting them involved. We knew that everyone could learn science if it was presented correctly."

The hands-on experimentation which taught scientific principles through all five senses caused the after-school club to grow quickly with Watts funding it entirely from his own pocket. In just a few years, the club was bursting at the seams with young scientists, and Watts needed to find more space.

The program expanded to an old, boarded-up, 2,000-sq. ft. house near the corner of Euclid Avenue and Market Street that had been abandoned and was under the City of San Diego's ownership. The City agreed to rent that house and a nearby building from the City for $1 a year.

In its new home, EIS became an after-school and weekend science enrichment program for children ages 7-13. The program grew and partnered with other local schools, universities, and businesses to provide instructors and equipment. Before long, it attracted students from all over the county. The house grew seemingly smaller and smaller as the program drew more and more students. EIS consistently enrolled about 350 students per year over the last three decades.

Just five years later, EIS won the National Science Teachers Association's highest award for science instruction in the U.S. It was also recognized by the National Science Foundation as one of two programs in the country and five in the world leading the development of hands-on science experiences for young students.

EIS even attracted the attention of Dr. Jonas Salk, founder of the Salk Institute in San Diego. In addition to serving as a guest speaker at a Friends of the Institute fundraiser, Dr. Salk opened internship opportunities at the Salk Institute to EIS students on a trial basis.

"People at the Salk Institute were very surprised by our students," Watts said. "They told us they'd never met a more curious group of students in their lives. In fact, one of our students corrected a Salk researcher who wasn't properly documenting an experiment. They were just blown away. It opened the door to internships for our students at other science-based organizations in San Diego and throughout the country."

EIS' staff and board realized the program needed to reach more kids than the little old house could accommodate. Even the students wanted more of their friends and classmates involved in the program. Thus began the dream that today is reality - a dramatic, two story, 15,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that now stands out as a beacon of education and a symbol of the community's commitment to the program.

To accomplish this task, EIS launched a fundraising campaign in 1994 to construct a larger, building to serve more students and provide the latest technological tools and learning resources. The goal was a formidable $6 million.

One of EIS's biggest supporters, and the organization responsible for jump-starting the capital campaign with a $1-million challenge grant, is the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation (JCNI). JCNI, an organization focused on partnering with residents to drive and own change in their communities, explores and implements new ways to strengthen under-invested neighborhoods through entrepreneurial projects, hands-on learning relationships and the creative investment of resources.

"To receive that grant money, they had to raise money first," said Jennifer Vanica, President and CEO of JCNI. "We helped them with capacity building and provided some of the resources to get moving in the right direction. They had the commitment from their leadership, and we were in a position to assist them in realizing their dream."

The EIS Youth Board, a volunteer group of a dozen youngsters and alumni formed to raise funds for the Institute's expansion and took a sophisticated approach to fundraising. Mentored by Vanica, the group applied for and received support from a series of grants. At the end, the Youth Board raised an impressive $220,000. EIS reached its campaign goal of $6 million in April 2002. The Kresge Foundation issued a $350,000 challenge grant, which was awarded near the end of the campaign. EIS also received $230,000 for site improvements and construction through community development block grants facilitated by then-Deputy Mayor George Stevens.

Other major donors included the Weingart Foundation, The California Endowment, The Hellman Family Philanthropic Fund, Dr. Irwin and Joan Jacobs, the City of San Diego, The Kresge Foundation, Henry L. Guenther Foundation, Qualcomm Incorporated, Walton Family Foundation, Short Family Trust, The Gerald T. and Inez Grant Parker Foundation, Lola and Walter Green, the County of San Diego, The San Diego Foundation Reuben H. Fleet Fund, Girard Foundation, The San Diego Foundation, and The Peter C. Farrell Family Fund.

In time, the program will be able to accommodate twice as many students each year as it did before. But the most important thing, said Anderson, is that EIS never lose the creative, hands-on approach to teaching science that made EIS what it is.