For several years now, the Orcas Middle School sixth grade class has taken a field trip to the Olympic Park Institute. The tradition of this five-day environmental learning camp has been a wonderful experience for the students as well as the adult chaperones who attend, say school representatives.

This year the Orcas Island Education Foundation realized that the cost of the trip would be a stretch for many parents.

“Recognizing both the educational value to students, and the potential hardship this could cause to parents, OIEF reached out to its donors over the summer,” said OIEF president Janet Brownell. “The success of this specific direct ask was incredible.  Because of donors on and off the island, and because of a generous grant from Olympic Park Inst itself, the cost of the trip has been reduced to a mere fraction of what it would normally cost … The Education Foundation would like to continue the support of this invaluable experience for future 6th grade class, but it all comes down to donors. Hopefully, we’ll be as successful next year as we were this year; we will just have to wait and see.”