2008 Grant Proposal Details

Environmental Outdoor School   Crest Drive Elementary

Total: $2000

Description:  This is the culminating event for our 5th graders initiated three years ago after five years of developing our environmental curriculum studying watersheds. We send our graduating 5th graders to Cedar Ridge Environmental School in Vernonia, Oregon, where they have three days and two nights of nature hikes, field experiments, journaling, bonding exercises and excitement...all wrapped in a wonderfully themed curriculum. We have in place a program where the tuition is raised incrementally during 4th and 5th grades. The costs are very reasonable, but there is still a need in these formative years to seek outside help. An EEF Grant will allow us to pay for the transportation and scholarships for those students who cannot afford the tuition.

Why is this important?  These kinds of multi-disciplinary excursions are extremely rare in these times of reduced budgets. Three of us at Crest spent five years developing the two year course. Since we initiated the program, it has become a foundation of our school's curriculum. Environmental Science is presented throughout all grades. However, it is during the fourth and fifth grades when the "Crest Watershed" curriculum is specifically taught. The classes include field trips, environmental speakers, water-testing, computer research, microscope labs and project learning. This final activity is where all the pieces come together and the students experience an enrichment that is, for many, the most memorable in their elementary careers. We hope you will see the advantage of such a unique and vital experience for our kids.

Who will be served?  Our 5th graders are the specific beneficiaries of this grant...about 60 kids. However, with your support, this event will continue to be the capstone of two years study and one that every Crest student will eventually experience.

How will this be evaluated?  This will be "Year 4" of our outdoor school program. Although still in its infancy, the feedback from the previous three groups has been loud and unanimous. Our Outdoor School is a stunning success. The spirit of stewardship for our wildlife and natural surroundings is now one of those lifelong values our kids will have learned and experienced firsthand. For many, it's the FIRST TIME they've ever spent time in Oregon's wonderful forests.

Does this build on existing programs?  Please see our response to: "Why is this project important?" I would add that the EEF has been instrumental since the inception of our idea for developing this program. Two teachers and the principal hatched the idea to enhance science skills, yet it quickly grew to become a pervasive topic within our building and an area of expertise for our budding environmentalists!

Budget:  $1,500 for transportation costs to and from the environmental school at Vernonia, Oregon. $500 for scholarships to students who need tuition help

Proposal #:  30