Dear PPS:

"This is it, this is it, this is it."

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 03:55:17 -0400

Dear Portland Public Schools:

I’m writing to you in the hopes that you’ll find a way to keep Outdoor School going, even in the tiniest incarnation. We will find a way to find the money but we need some time. Completely cutting it would take the wind out of its sails; I know deep in my heart that’s not what you want.

I don’t envy you at all. This has got to weigh on you every day. We all know you aren’t making decisions based on what you like or dislike, or what you think is valuable over invaluable. You have a lot that’s set in place for you and you’re only able to move around so much. Like many people writing to you, I get that.

But there is so much more to this program than just a figure in a budget. I wish more than anything that Outdoor School was never funded by the school districts. I wish they had some kind of reserves they could pool from. It seems like the city should be taking care of Outdoor School. I hope they will now.

I went to middle and high school in east Multnomah County. I was bullied so badly in 7th and 8th grade that I went home every day a complete shell. I was shoved to the floor, tripped, and spat on. I was called “dyke” and “fat lesbian” certainly within earshot of many, many teachers with no reaction from them. Boys would frequently berate me at length, grab at me as I walked down the halls, and bark like a dog when I’d enter the room.

This continued when we all went on to high school. At the same time, my family was busy. My parents had to work long hours and I didn’t see them that often. When I did, they didn’t have time for my problems. I felt pretty invisible.

I had heard about Outdoor School from my neighbor. I moved to the district in the 7th grade, so I didn’t go with my class. My neighbor always said she wanted to be a Student Leader when she was a sophomore, and I kind of just did it to get away from home for a while.

Little did I know that as soon as I got off the bus at Student Leader Workshop, I became someone who was valued, who was needed, and who they were, quite literally, waiting for. The staff had no idea who I was. But they did things no one else had done for me till then— They listened and laughed at my stories and jokes. They remembered my name. They told me that I was interesting, and someone they wanted to have around. We discussed when I would come back for a week of Outdoor School; they said they couldn’t wait to have me back. Other Student Leaders included me in the group like I had always been there. I could find open-minded, wonderful people from all over Portland. The world wasn’t like the suburbs. I could be who I was, and it was like they expected me to be different. Also, I had my first introduction to teaching about science, the environment, and Oregon. I’ve never looked back.

I can honestly say I don’t know what I would have done without this experience. I’m not sure I could have stayed in school, given how terrible it was. I considered dropping out many times. I was just completely swallowed by a giant school. I’m not sure I ever would have felt anything about myself other than the terrible things that were repeated at me all day long at school. I am not saying this as an exaggeration. Outdoor School was the only place I felt comfortable and the only time I was really, really good at something with such consequence and importance.

I spent seven weeks in high school as a Student Leader. In that time I took kids from bad neighborhoods in Portland through the forest and taught them real, hands-on science. I also led (with a partner or two) a cabin group of 10-12 girls. One week, my cabin group included a girl who ended up telling me she was homeless, a girl who was in a wheelchair with Cerebral Palsy, a McMenamin, two farm girls, several girls who got into a fight about race, and a handful of very typical sixth grade girls. This is not that different from most weeks of Outdoor School. And it’s the job of the Student Leader to make these kids see the world through each other’s eyes. Do you realize how empowering that is? Especially when it actually works? Consider that same high school student going off to work in the community. The same one who felt lost, harassed, and invisible everywhere else. That kind of experience is priceless.

I know for a fact that I’m not the only one. Read through all of your letters and you’ll see; this is it. This is the biggest deal. We’re not just fans of a sweet, cute singsongy camp experience. This is as life-saving as any kind of counseling program you could pay for. This is intervention, one-on-one care, and personalized work, for every child.

This is it, this is it, this is it.

Thank you, and good luck to you.

Julie R—

PPS Parent, former Parkrose student.

"If you're spending more on high school sports than it would take to send 6 years worth of students to Outdoor School, you are making a short-sighted and irresponsible decision."

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:18:59 -0400

Dear PPS:

At the risk of exposing myself as a nerd, I’m going to quote Albus Dumbledore:

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

I’m quoting him not because I feel like you need a dose of Harry Potter wisdom, but because all eyes are on you right now to make the best decision for the most people. It can’t be easy. This is common in ethics and philosophy: The good of the many, over the good of the few. I’ve heard a few of you mention that the budget gap isn’t your fault and that you’re just working with what is handed to you. Of course you’re right. But you have a chance to make a real difference here for students. Outdoor School is worth keeping.

You can’t in good faith say that cutting Outdoor School is your only option when you aren’t cutting from high school sports. You can say all day that sports affect the whole school, and I’d challenge you to ask the students if they agree. If you’re spending more on high school sports than it would take to send 6 years worth of students to Outdoor School, you are making a short-sighted and irresponsible decision.

We are Portland, for crying out loud! You can do something big here! You can save Outdoor School and everyone would laud you as heroes. You’ve got over 400,000 people who have all felt the magic of wearing a wood cookie and you’re going to just throw it away!? There’s a reason so many people have been writing passionate messages, calling news media, calling for action. This affects all of us.

Please, don’t destroy this Portland institution. If you do, I’m not sure we will recover.

Thank you,

Fran Miller

"The mentors I had at Outdoor School pushed me to become the man I am today, and the scientist and teacher I never knew I was capable of."

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:15:00 -0400

Dear Portland Public Schools and Superintendent Carole Smith:

My name is Eric A—, and I’m one of hundreds of thousands of Outdoor School faithful. I was a 6th grader in the 1970’s, a Junior Counselor four years after that, Senior Staff for around eight years. I have worked for ODFW, NFS, in the Opal Creek system and a brief stint at Bonneville Power. Now I work in Education Policy at Kennedy Space Center in sunny Florida. You could say that environmental awareness and education is sort of my thing.

I can tell you without blinking that MESD Outdoor School is the finest environmental education organization I’ve ever come across. This goes for NASA, National Parks, Fish & Wildlife — anywhere. I want to tell you why:

1) First-rate, real science happening at the sixth grade level. Students spend one day at each field study: plants, animals, water, soil. This doesn’t mean playing games; it’s actual, physical science experimentation, notation, and discussion. During this time they are pH testing soil, calculating board feet of native conifers, conducting macro invertebrate surveys, discussing the watersheds that we all share. They are identifying native frogs, hiking through old growth, hypothesizing the best soil to grow or build upon. They are critically thinking about logging techniques, assessing water quality through tests that actual ODFW workers use, and every student works to develop answers to real world environmental problems. These are sixth graders.

Think about your opinion of a typical sixth grader and then imagine them with boots on, goggles on, oxidizing precipitates in their sample of river water to determine its dissolved oxygen, then hypothesizing based on data they’ve collected on turbidity, macro invertebrates, etc about the health of the river they are next to. Those same kids with bad attitudes who are attached to their cell phones.

Not only is this real science they could turn in to any scientific organization, it’s all supervised by trained science professionals and educators. It’s also the only thing close to preparing the younger generation for the future ahead.

Isaac Asimov said: “No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be.”

Money is tight. I understand this, believe me. I get my paychecks from NASA. If you cut Outdoor School you are not only keeping this experience from students, but you’re also making a decision to cut them off from the rest of the world. We need more opportunities for kids to explore the sciences. I hope you know this as educators. Don’t dispose of the one thing that is truly reaching them.

2) High School students. Have you met some of them? Self-less, brave, smart and thoughtful people, all of them. Some of the best prepared people for working in science, in the community of Portland, for being good moms and dads, for helping out in all civic capacity. You start asking around— almost everywhere you go you will come across people who are connected to Outdoor School. And they are just good people. High School boys need leadership that doesn’t have anything to do with competition. I know it; I was one. Outdoor School made me think outside of myself for once in my young life, and I’ve never looked back. The mentors I had at Outdoor School pushed me to become the man I am today, and the scientist and teacher I never knew I was capable of. I would not be working for NASA today if it weren’t for Outdoor School. I bet we will never know how far the reach of Outdoor School is. I read somewhere that PPS should be exporting Outdoor School. It’s true. Bottle it up and sell it.

Just now as I’m writing this I can think of where some of my colleagues from my time as Senior Staff have ended up. I know of another fellow at NASA; we connected here as former proud web-feeters, actually. There’s a woman at the USDA working on Food Security. I know of two in the Foreign Service. Countless military personnel at many different ranks. One former Soil guy is top brass at Virgin Galactic. Someone at Google. I feel like I could go on forever here.

Look, the point is this: Find a way. You must find a way to save Outdoor School. Give them a day. Give them one day. I’ve been paying attention to this mess since last year’s budget came out and everyone thought cutting down to three days was the worst thing. Look, ma! No hands.

Give Outdoor School a year to figure it out. Find the some-odd hundreds of thousands of dollars somewhere else and give it to them for a year.

Please.

Thank you for your time,

Eric A—

"She said, "I'm so thankful that you chose this life, because you are exactly what is beautiful about Outdoor School." I'll never forget it. And I could never thank her or Howard or the staff enough for what they gave me."

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:20:37 -0400

Dear PPS:

I never do stuff like this. I’m usually one who gets mad about stuff in the privacy of my home and it doesn’t go much further than that. But this is different, because it has to do with Outdoor School. There isn’t anything in my life that I hold so dear to my heart as Outdoor School, except my family. That’s how important it is. If Outdoor School goes, it would feel like a member of my family had vanished.

I was not a popular kid in school. I was smart, but I had a hard time focusing in school and it was like all the other kids knew it. I stood out anytime we had to do math problems on the board or read out loud. School as it is was a torture chamber.

You’ve heard about how Outdoor School changes kids in the 6th grade, and how in high school it turns them into leaders, teachers, etc. It gives them a direction in life and makes them feel confident about their abilities.

All of those things are true, but Outdoor School also saved my life. I don’t say this as an exaggeration or hyperbole. I was partying so much in high school that it often felt like I was in a speeding car about to crash into a wall. I used to go to school drunk and sneak off at lunch to get high with my friends in the woods behind school. I was drunk or stoned or worse probably 90% of the time during my freshman and sophomore years in school. I had a lot of pain in my life, and my family, and drinking was the only thing that gave me any kind of happiness.

I don’t believe in God. Sorry if that’s weird to say in this letter, but it’s true. But one day, I had to go to school sober. I mention God here, because it was the first time I noticed an Outdoor School sign up on the bulletin board at school. I don’t know why I didn’t see it till then, maybe it was totally a coincidence, but I took it as a huge wake up call. I remember going home that day in kind of a haze. I knew that I couldn’t go to Outdoor School drunk or stoned. It wasn’t fair to kids and I always liked working with kids during the summers and stuff.

So I got sober. And I stayed sober so I could go to Outdoor School. I was a 4 time Student Leader and no one would have known what my former life was like. I had the most amazing mentors at Howard Outdoor School, and at the end of my time as an SL, I confided in one of them about my old habits. I remember she started crying, and I was crying then. She said, “I’m so thankful that you chose this life, because you are exactly what is beautiful about Outdoor School.” I’ll never forget it. And I could never thank her or Howard or the staff enough for what they gave me.

I want you guys to know that I am not the only one. There are probably thousands of people who would agree that Outdoor School saved their lives. I honestly don’t think I would have been alive if I hadn’t seen that poster at school one day. And I don’t just mean literally, heart-beating alive. I mean, really living. I never would have known what it meant to work hard for other people or to stay up late doing something nice for a group of people you’ve only known for a week. I wouldn’t have known what is so amazing about Oregon and science, and trees! I love trees now. My friends always get annoyed but I want to talk about trees and tree guts all day long.

Outdoor School is so beautiful. And in a world of ugly things, this is one thing we should be keeping sacred.

Thank you,

"It is so hard to put into words the difference it makes for all of us. My students will get off that bus in a few hours exhausted, dirty, and grinning from ear to ear, ready to share this unforgettable experience with anyone who will listen."

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:11:00 -0400

Dear PPS:

It is 11:00pm on Thursday night, and here I sit at Outdoor School. The 6th graders are long in bed and the high school students are foregoing sleep yet again to make tomorrow extra special. I’m a 6th grade teacher, a former ODS student leader, and a former ODS 6th grader. I fight for this program for my students because I believe in it. I get to watch my students who struggle in the classroom become successful here. I get to watch my students learn to open up to new experiences and new friendships. I believe in the difference it makes for my students and for these high school students. All week these sophomores, juniors and seniors have given all their energy to make sure my 6th graders have an unforgettable, educational experience. Outdoor School is truly unforgettable - more than 20 years ago a couple high schoolers known as “Squirrel” and “Etiole” made my week amazing. Ask around at a gathering and anyone who grew up in Portland will immediately tell you their memories - what camp they went to, who the student leaders and staff were, and what they remember. Yes, we remember how cool it was to hang out with high school students when we were so young, and we remember singing songs and putting mud on our faces, but the learning goes much beyond that. I still remember that it was 6th grade and Outdoor School behind my understanding of vertebrates and invertebrates, exoskeletons, oxbows and pH. I still remember that the girls in my cabin taught me to dance and befriended the insecure, shy me. I have as many memories of that week as of the rest of my grade school years combined. I fight for this program because of the memories it makes and the relationships it builds.

Beyond the 6th grade, the change it makes in these high school students is amazing. I know that being a student leader helped me grow in my confidence and strengthened my belief that I should be a teacher. I know that these high school students I see before me are students I want to see leading my community in the years to come. This week they have left behind the comforts of home; their friends, their families, their cell phones, their computers, their iPods… and they have come to share their energy and enthusiasm with these 6th graders to make sure that a group of 12 years olds they have never met have the week of their lives. They are thoughtful, compassionate, selfless, open, creative, enthusiastic, ambitious young men and women. They will spend the next weeks catching up on their schoolwork and their sleep. They will try to explain to their peers why they are different; they will try to explain to their families how they have grown up this week, and the words will never be enough. They are inspired to become teachers and scientists, actors and nurses, but confident that they can be successful in whatever they choose. I fight for this program for my 6th graders, but I fight for this program for these students as well.

The staff here will continue to work after the high school students head back to bed. In addition to teaching a full curriculum in a day on their various field studies, they mentor the high school students and evaluate each of them. They build their confidence and help them grow into the best leaders they can be. The staff live on site for about 6 months a year, and sacrifice many of the comforts of home as well as sleep, privacy and quiet time. They are enthusiastic and easy to work with; adapting to different high school student leaders, different 6th graders, and different teachers each week. They do dishes, they comfort homesick kids, they make up songs, and they constantly strive to make Outdoor School better. They are knowledgeable and creative and always full of energy. Many of them will move on from this program to become teachers, some will continue school in the sciences, some will move in a completely different direction, but all will contribute to making our world a better place. I fight for this program to support their sacrifices.

My week at Outdoor School will reinvigorate me as a teacher, as it always does. I will have a better relationship with my students. I will refer back to this week on a regular basis, discussing adaptations and habitats, and reminding them to learn with the enthusiasm and curiosity they showed in the forest. Together we will build on the community we developed this week, looking beyond ourselves and our lives to improve the world for everyone. It is so hard to put into words the difference it makes for all of us. My students will get off that bus in a few hours exhausted, dirty, and grinning from ear to ear, ready to share this unforgettable experience with anyone who will listen.

Not enough of my tax dollars go to education, and I’d like the ones that do to go into this program. Every 6th grader should get to experience this program, not just those whose parents can afford to pay.

Sincerely,

Melissa “LunaLoam” B.

"...the thing I am most grateful for is the deep love of science and inquiry that Outdoor School has instilled in me."

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:13:22 -0400

Dear Portland Public,

I have never tried before to write what Outdoor School has meant to me. But I have successfully described it: every year on the annual BU geological society camping trip we all go around the campfire and say why we are Earth Sciences majors. I always open with: “I volunteered for this environmental education program in Oregon”, I continue on to describe a defining moment in my life: when I taught about rock weathering and pH in secession and ended up testing the pH of my own spit because the 6^th graders made the connection that I had analogized spit as “chemically weathering” food because it is acidic.

As a Soil Student leader I loved teaching. I loved figuring out new ways to explain concepts, showing my cabin of girls the way they could see sediment moving down hill with the water when it rained. The only better feeling in the world than learning about science by experiencing it, is sharing that experience and knowledge with others. I felt this for the first time at Outdoor School: mingled pride, intelligence, excitement, and the notion that the earth, the forest, the rocks, the soil have let you on their secrets. It is a tingly perception shifting sort of feeling, like looking at the leaves of a tree against the sky, and then looking at the negative space between the leaves.

I was a sixth grader at Collins, five time Namamu Student leader, and have been an occasional special needs volunteer. There are countless things the program has given me, all of them are worth talking about however, the thing I am most grateful for is the deep love of science and inquiry that Outdoor School has instilled in me.

In exactly one month I will graduate from Boston University with a Degree in Earth Sciences. This is the part where I sound really dorky: I love the Earth Sciences. I am the President of the BU Geological Society. I am doing a senior capstone project on the geochemical record of Dispersed Volcanic Ash in Deep Marine Sediments. I take classes with titles like “Terrestrial Biogeochemistry.” We keep cool rocks on our coffee table instead of fancy books.

I never want that tree leaf/negative space feeling to stop, and I want every 6^th grader and student leader to have the chance to experience it. Outdoor School was my gateway to a love of the natural sciences. I am indebted to the program and to my field instructor and soil program leader in a way I will never be able to repay. In a time when we are asking important questions about the future of education in America: How do we encourage students to be interested in math and science? How do we improve test scores? When faced with changing climate how do we instill a sense of stewardship in the next generation? Outdoor School is a program that answers all these questions. It was the answer for me.

Please continue to support effective and creative science education.

Claire C. McKinley “Arken”

"Before she went to Outdoor School, I don't think she had any concept of the future, or of hope for herself."

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:08:00 -0400

Dear PPS:

My daughter was born with severe Spina bifida. As such, she’s been in a wheel chair for as long as she remembers. She’s of typical cognition, as most people with Spina bifida without complications usually are. Because of this, however, she’s acutely aware of the things her peers say about her at school. Per our choice, she is not sheltered from any of this. We believe in an inclusive education for her, and no one is immune to their reality. We’ve had the pleasure of working with teachers who are heroes for my daughter, and we can only thank PPS for their work in making her school life as typical as we can hope for. Still, kids can be cruel. She has few friends. My daughter is a fighter and she sticks up for herself when she needs to. It still hurts her feelings, and I know this because she tells me when she gets home. I can see it in her face everyday. She’s tired of it, and worn out most days.

But then there was Outdoor School. I didn’t grow up here, so I had only heard about Outdoor School as this far-off place where 6th graders went for a week. In my mind, it was just another place where my daughter would be left out. You can’t hike in a wheelchair, you can’t roll through wet fields or sit cross-legged in a circle of girls braiding hair. It’s the first thing people notice about you. I was worried about kids from other schools making fun of her in a place where she didn’t feel comfortable and couldn’t rely on her normal allies. But she wanted to go, and I knew that if she stayed home it would put her at another disadvantage socially. I hesitated and met with her teacher who assured me it would be a non-issue. Then I agreed to let her go.

I cannot begin to tell you about the level of care my daughter received at Outdoor School. The inclusion was greater than she had ever felt in any program to that point, and probably won’t feel that again anywhere else. Not only was her wheelchair a non-issue, she got a special all-terrain wheelchair that could go through the forest. Someone was there to push her up the hills and on the banks of the river. She got to go on hikes with her classmates and listen for birds, dip a net into a creek, and sing silly songs with her new friends. They pushed her through those wet fields and she sat with her peers in her cabin like it was nothing. She made friends with kids from all over town, and one girl from the other side of the river became her best friend and remains so to this day. She was even asked to be a part of the tree planting ceremony at the end of the week, which I learned later is a special acknowledgment of a job well done for the kids. Six years later, she still has her wooden name tag hanging up in her room.

A few summers later we were lucky enough to send my daughter to a camp for kids with disabilities. She had an alright time, she said. But it was just for those kids. She also could have gone to a typical camp, only to be left out. Outdoor School is the only program we have ever found that is truly for every child. They work tirelessly to make every kid feel welcomed, and those kids would never know there was anything different about their experience.

I applaud Outdoor School for giving this gift to my daughter and to every kid in our county since 1966. I feel deeply connected to it now, and as such, I almost feel ashamed of Portland Public Schools for even considering a cut to it. Do you know what kind of a jewel you have? You could cut every support program for kids with disabilities and just send them all to Outdoor School. I really believe that.

Outdoor School was truly a miracle for my daughter. When she got home, she was a different person. Confident and ready to take on the world. And now, as a senior in high school, she’s going off to college next year and she wants to be a teacher. Before she went to Outdoor School, I don’t think she had any concept of the future, or of hope for herself. Now she knows what she’s capable of, and I can only thank Outdoor School for that.

Please reconsider your choice.

Thank you,

Hannah M.

PPS Parent

"Learning felt like a puzzle, one even the roughest kids in my class wanted to solve."

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:59:58 -0400

Dear Portland Public Schools,

I was a pretty miserable sixth-grader. I had a digestive disorder and missed a ton of school; when I did go, I spent each day trying not to hear the things other kids said about me. Perhaps predictably, I was not looking forward to Outdoor School.

But I went. I remember the dread I felt on the bus ride to the site, but after that the fear must have disappeared, because I felt safer than I had in a long time. The high-school Student Leaders in charge of my cabin were kind and fun, and the girls who lived in my cabin with me didn’t say a thing about my illness. As an adult, I know that the staff must have made subtle accommodations for me; as a sixth-grader I just finally felt safe at school.

Maybe the biggest benefit to this sense of safety is that at Outdoor School, I was able to focus on learning. At my middle school I was so concerned with being teased that I couldn’t think. But at Outdoor School, I could relax and let my mind work. Learning felt like a puzzle, one even the roughest kids in my class wanted to solve. In the woods, I got to do real science and think through problems. For the first time in my life, science made sense.

I don’t need to tell you about the bus ride home, which my classmates and I spent singing campfire songs and crying. I don’t need to tell you about how empowered I felt as a Student Leader, when I got to teach soil science, or about what a privilege it was to work at Outdoor School and spend every day helping kids learn to love science and treat each other well. I just want you to know that Outdoor School works. If we care about teaching science, we need to see the things that work and hold them close. For everything the program gives kids—academic and personal—Outdoor School is incredibly, ridiculously inexpensive.

Thank you, and good luck,

Lisa E.

"I felt like a bird who could finally soar."

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:53:01 -0400

Dear Superintendent Smith and the PPS School Board:

My name is Alan. I am a proud product of Portland Public Schools. I’ll probably never move out of this city. I also have ADHD and when I was in school I had an IEP with a one on one almost every year. I know what those things mean now as an adult, but as a kid it was very unclear to me why I was different. School was misery for me. Even with an IEP, the status quo is that you sit in your desk and listen to your teacher. It felt like I was chained to my chair in a prison being punished for learning a different way.

My teachers were nice enough but they didn’t have time to teach me individually. I don’t remember anything I “learned” through most of elementary and middle school. Except Outdoor School.

As soon as I heard we were going to Outdoor School I couldn’t think of anything else. The lady came to my school named Coho and she told us we would go to a place called Arrah Wanna. I remember that in my mind I was already there. I felt like a bird who could finally soar. All she did was talk about what we would do there and answer our questions. I remember someone asking what happens if it rains and I just started laughing. I wish it rained on us every day in class!

When we got to Outdoor School I can’t even tell you how I felt it was indescribable. My Student Leader was so awesome and I remember him singing with a guitar at night. He always cheered all of us on and when people in my cabin got mad at me he always stuck up for me. By the end of the week we were all like brothers.

The thing I remember the most is being outside all day long. We hiked all the time and we got to put mud on our faces like in stripes. It was so fun. I always got to be in charge of the equipment and I have never been so empowered as a kid. I was always the annoying one. No one ever told me to shut up or knock it off at Outdoor School. Back then I thought they were doing this all for me, but now I look back and I know that they do that for everyone.

That is what is the best thing about Outdoor School. I was one kid with ADHD out of tons of kids and I felt special in a whole knew way. At school they all hated me because I couldn’t stay in my seat and I always got in trouble. At Outdoor School it was like they were waiting for me and kids like me. I think about other kids like me and how school is horrible. I feel so lucky that I got to go to Outdoor School to see that I’m not different. I just have a different way of learning.

I wish all school was like Outdoor School. Please save Outdoor School.

Thank you.

Alan.

"It is a place where age, background, and barriers are broken down so that everyone involved can simultaneously be a goofy kid and a maturing adult."

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:35:06 -0400

To whom it may concern,

Outdoor school was and is still one of the most valuable learning
experiences I have ever had, both in middle school and later as a student
leader. Alternative styles of learning should be put at the top of the
priority list so that our system has a chance to influence kids that may
otherwise be denied the opportunity to thrive in an environment that
inspires and supports them.

I gained incredible skills from teaching science to sixth graders as well as working with other students and staff members. To this day I owe much of my love for experiential learning and leadership involvement to ODS. It is a place where age, background, and barriers are broken down so that everyone involved can simultaneously be a goofy kid and a maturing adult. I encourage the continuation of funding for ODS in any way possible- once it is gone it will be hard to bring
back. Never have I been more influenced and inspired by others and felt
like I was contributing to substantial changes in other peoples lives than
when I was at outdoor school. This kind of learning should be available
for all students!!

Thank you,

Mikaila Montgomery (“Echo”)

"Portland has a rare opportunity to be exporters of this program. We can change how people think about educating children, and we can do it with Outdoor School."

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:28:46 -0400

Dear PPS:

I am a lifelong Outdoor School supporter and Portlander. I feel like the two go hand-in-hand. I’ve devoted tens of thousands of hours to Outdoor School and its mission by volunteering in high school and college, then going back as staff, and then taking 6th grade classes as their teacher. I now have two children, aged 6 and 9. The idea that they won’t be able to go to Outdoor School is more heartbreaking than anything I can imagine. It’s as though one of my limbs has been cut off. Since I was a Student Leader I dreamt of the time when my own children could go; when they could spend time with people they’d never be around otherwise, on their own in the forest with an amazing high school mentor. They love being outside, because I do, but it’s not the same.

I look at their peers and even among my social circle of open-minded, nature-loving friends and co-teachers, their kids don’t care about nature. Even kids who go camping regularly or who own hiking boots, or who can identify plants and animals because their parents slog them around— they do it because it’s in front of them, and they understand a bit. It’s like when your grandparents show you a slideshow of their vacation in Hawaii, it’s so unbelievably boring and you’d never think for a second that you’d like to go. In fact, you just want them to stop talking about it. But when you go to Hawaii, it can change your perception of yourself and the world. It makes you form new thoughts about your place in nature. Just as you’d have to experience Hawaii for yourself, it isn’t until children can go to Outdoor School and have a formative experience away from their parents in the forest that they truly understand their place in it.

But then I imagine all of the kids who don’t even know trees are living things. They think outside means the parking lot in front of their apartment building. Going outside is not even in their radar. Walking to school means wading through trash, getting cat-called at if they are girls. It means inconvenience, not leisure. I highly doubt, based on my own knowledge of these populations, that kids from inner NE and N Portland are going to be hiking in the gorge with their families.

Look, I’m a teacher. I know many of my friends are going to lose their job over this. I know I’ll have to continue buying supplies for my class and working till my back breaks. I’ll have to teach to the test until something radical happens. I’m keeping my name off of this because I’m worried about being targeted by my peers. Imagine that for a second. I’m worried about being targeted because I’m sticking up for something as brilliant as Outdoor School.

When it comes down to it, we all know that the nature of education needs to change. Portland has a rare opportunity to be exporters of this program. We can change how people think about educating children, and we can do it with Outdoor School.

Thank you for your time. Good luck to us all.

Middle School Teacher - PPS

"I know that some decisions can be difficult to make, but saving something even though it is hard, does not make it any less of a right decision for our young students, and our old ones too."

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:41:03 -0400

Dear PPS,

Like so many other children raised in Portland, I had the opportunity
to go to Outdoor School when I was a sixth grader, and before my week
was over, I knew, I was going to be a student leader. That 4 years was
agonizing for me, seeing my older sister go off and proudly display
her chosen name on a wood cookie, which was decorated with many beads
and trinkets. This only fueled my desire to finally be a leader. By
the time I was able to sign up for workshop the fall of my sophomore
year, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to teach children,
because I’ve come to find out that teaching and leading are my strong
traits.

I graduated from Wilson High School in 2009, and ended up making it
out to Namanu Outdoor School four times, and they were the best four
weeks of my life. I ended up forging connections with people that I
never thought I would ever get the opportunity to meet. When I was
chosen for the tree planting ceremony my final week. with my sixth
grade teacher and his class present, I was moved to tears, because of
how sacred and important that ceremony is to ever single class that
gets the chance to go out for that week.

I am now in school, still on track with my original plan, to become a
teacher. I know it’s hard work, I’ve heard things can be tough on
teachers sometimes, but I want to do this because I have acquired so
many skills from my time at Outdoor School, and learned so much about
myself in the process. I have dedicated the past two summers to Namanu
summer camp, and I am about to prepare for my third summer there. Even
though it is very very different from Outdoor School, it is still the
same in a couple of ways: the kids are still kids, and there is no
better way to engage them and affect their lives than getting down on
their level and being an understanding role model.

I have connected with students in many ways, whispering our secrets to
earthworms, getting eye level with a flower, and examining it with
careful hands, sitting silent in nature and let the sounds of the
woods soak into their bones. I have encouraged them to dream big, and
pursue whatever they believe in, and stick to their convictions. There
are things that cannot be learning in a stifling classroom. I can
rattle off the parts of a tree or mushroom in five seconds flat. I can
easily identify a native fern. Sure, that might be impressive to some
people. But the part that is impressive to me is that I didn’t learn
these from a book, I learned them with my hands and being able to see
these things with my own eyes. I have learned, myself, how to use a
dichotomous key, and turned around to teach students how to use it,
and they have been able to physically utilize it as a tool for use in
nature.

I wouldn’t be where I am without Outdoor School, today. I don’t know
where I would be. I probably wouldn’t hold knowledge about the many
native plants of Oregon, and the lush ecosystems that are at work
within city limits. I would probably be filled with a lot less
knowledge about silly songs about bears in tennis shoes, or how to
play a proper game of Alaskan Baseball. And I would be miserable.

Thank you for considering my letter, I know that some decisions can be
difficult to make, but saving something even though it is hard, does
not make it any less of a right decision for our young students, and
our old ones too.

Celeste “Neon” Chillemi

"But if you cut Outdoor School, it affects every single person in Portland for generations to come."

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:14:18 -0400

Dear PPS and Superintendent Smith:

I’ve been thinking a lot about this problem and how we can fix it. I’m probably going to say some unpopular things in this letter but I have considered the other options and this is what makes sense. You can close the schools you’re proposing to close and you’ll affect those kids in a huge way. You can cut adapted PE teachers and you’ll surely affect those kids. You can cut the reading program, the equity officers, all of it, and it will be a huge hit.

But if you cut Outdoor School, it affects every single person in Portland for generations to come. And on the flip side, by paying for Outdoor School, you’d get equity, you’d get small groups, you’d get a small community of kids, you’d get adapted PE and science and life skills. Girls from Tubman would learn from women scientists at Outdoor School. Kids from Humboldt would get the close community of appropriate mentors and role models they’d need. You’d get science in a way that ESL kids can learn. This is an inexpensive way to address all of those things you would need to cut.

Also, cut the dang sports. Someone mentioned before that if you cut sports Nike would probably step up and of course they would. If not, bummer. No sports next year. Surely you think Outdoor School is more equitable than high school football.

Thank you for reading my email.

Jacob Fleming

Roosevelt High School

Portland State University

"...I knew that in order to be a Student Leader I needed good grades and good attendance. I put in that effort, I tried harder, so I could spend my week at Outdoor School."

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:04:00 -0400

Dear Board Members,

Without MESD Outdoor School I would not be here.
First and foremost because my parents met while working for the program in the 80’s.
But also because this program changed my life and gave me a desire to fulfill my dreams.

This spring I have the honor of working my dream job. I am a Program Leader at Howard Outdoor School. The same ODS site I spent 5 weeks in high school as a Student Leader and 5 of my 9 weeks as a Special Needs Volunteer last spring.

This program has provided a lot to me over the last five years and I plan for Outdoor School to ALWAYS be a part of my life. I believe that you know Outdoor School is important, I just want you to also know why it’s important to me, and that I will be united with this organization forever.

As a sophomore in high school I did well in school because I liked it. As time past though, my desire to learn wasn’t what kept me driven, it was the opportunity to be a Student Leader. I was thirsty for the leadership and responsibility given to me at Outdoor School. I was excited at the possibility of being a role model and I was hungry for the science knowledge I gained there. I did not learn well in the classroom, but I knew that in order to be a Student Leader I needed good grades and good attendance. I put in that effort, I tried harder, so I could spend my week at Outdoor School.

As an Outdoor School employee I am asked frequently why I think this program benefits the educational experience of students. The thing is, there are more high school students out there than you think who dedicate themselves to school in order to have the opportunities Outdoor School provides. I was not then, and do not believe I am not the only person who pushes themselves in “real life” in order to be apart of the magic that is Outdoor School life.

I can say today that I truly love my job, and in today’s society that is not always the case. I work with an incredibly unique group of 11 individuals to make a remarkable, supportive, and educational community at Howard Outdoor School. I am able to work with high school students and sixth graders from every walk of life. All religions, race, economic backgrounds, and personality are represented and accepted at Outdoor School. I have worked with students who have no parents, two parents of the same gender, one parent, heterosexual parents, dead parents, loving parents, abusive parents, you name it. I have seen it at Outdoor School. The one thing all these students have in common though is that in this environment we create, it doesn’t matter in the slightest who their parents are. They are now a part of something bigger. They are little Sally from Coho cabin. They have seven wonderful new friends in their cabin and they all went out and spent their days learning about science hands on. They lived in a world where who they are, and where they came from don’t matter. Even if it was just for the week.

This place fosters love, acceptance, and freedom. Qualities that help to make better citizens and people. Outdoor School helps makes Portland the incredible city it is. Look around you the next time you’re in a public place. Ask around, see how many people went to Outdoor School. See how many remember it. See how many believe it’s one of the most crucial pieces of a Portland students educational journey. I think you’ll be surprised.

Outdoor School changed my life. Did it change yours?

Thank you,
Claire

"I felt loved by people I didn’t know would love me."

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:57:00 -0400

Dear PPS:

I have had to describe what Outdoor School is time and time again in a concise manner for many a resume, application, scholarship, letter, etc. Every time I struggle to articulate how much of an impact my 6 sessions at Outdoor School made on my life, how important the program is to so many people, and what its unique and profound experience is truly like. I am often resigned to identifying it as simply a science camp with high school counselors. Unfortunately, those words barely begin to explain the true identity of Outdoor School.

I personally identify so passionately with the program because before I started, I was a timid, self conscious young girl. After even just a few sessions, I became a more confident, mature, and outspoken young woman. There is no doubt in my mind that it dramatically changed my life. I would be a very different person today had I not gone. Even though I’m not going to become a teacher, my experiences made me realize and appreciate how amazing teaching is and how rewarding it can be. I felt loved by people I didn’t know would love me. I was comfortable, but was still pushed tremendously outside of my comfort zone.

I have heard many a story and know many people, both as sixth graders and high school students, that outdoor school was their last chance. They were heading in a bad direction with school, or at home, and when they came to outdoor school they fell in love with the program. These people were able to feel like they belonged again and that people actually cared about their future and that it really was worth striving to graduate high school and even go on to college.

The United States is trying to make an effort to stand behind education and get more of its kids into college after a high school diploma. Oregon could set that example through Outdoor School. Outdoor School acknowledges that everyone learns differently. It also teaches kids that learning can be really fun! Yes it costs money to keep the program running, and I understand that some things will be cut. I just hope that you can see that Outdoor School should not be one of them.

Thanks for reading and I hope the program will continue to touch thousands of lives,

Amanda McCaffrey

University of Oregon ‘15

Architecture Program

Clark Honors College

"...many Student Leaders credit ODS as the prime reason to get their high school degree, or even to go onto college. For some, it provides a 2nd chance at life."

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:24:26 -0400

Dear PPS:

Hi there. My name is Jeremy Hedlund, a student at the University of Oregon and a former Student Leader at Howard Outdoor School. I recently heard that PPS was planning to eliminate all funding for the ODS program, and I felt like I needed to do something to help…anything, really. I already give what I can in donations to Friends of Outdoor School, so an email to you seemed like the best option.

Outdoor School was critical to my development at a time when nothing else seemed to work. School was uninteresting, and I felt like I didn’t have a reason to keep trying. Some of my friends were turning to drugs, but I avoided that scene by getting involved with ODS. ODS gave me a reason to keep trying in school, and my experiences there showed me that I had the ability to help other people. It inspired me to enroll at the UO, and I am now an elected Student Senator and the founder of a student group that fights for workers’ rights and economic justice. None of this would have been possible if I hadn’t attended that first ODS workshop, and continued on to be a three time Student Leader.

Beyond allowing for my own personal growth, ODS as a program is one that makes sense, provided our city is serious about ensuring the success of future generations. It is one of the few programs that empowers young students from difficult socioeconomic backgrounds, showing them that they CAN learn, and that there IS a reason to stay in school. The same can be said for Student Leaders who volunteer at Outdoor School. My story is not unique, many Student Leaders credit ODS as the prime reason to get their high school degree, or even to go onto college. For some, it provides a 2nd chance at life. Casper, a fellow Student Leader I met on my 2nd week at Howard, told me that Outdoor School was the reason that he was keeping out of trouble after spending 6 months in juvenile hall, and the science credits he was earning would allow him to graduate on time. Prison costs are skyrocketing, and recidivism is a problem that nobody seems ready to tackle, but ODS is at least helping to keep the numbers down.

For these reasons and more, I’m begging that you do not cut Outdoor School from the budget. It is a program that disproportionately helps the less fortunate and keeps kids out of trouble, at a time where there seem to be less and less services that do so. I know that budgets are tight, but I strongly believe that cutting ODS would result in more costs in the future, and would destroy a piece of PPS’ culture and history.

Thank you for your time.

Jeremy “Cous Cous” Hedlund

"Are you numb to it, yet?"

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:22:00 -0400

Dear PPS Board and Superintendent Carole Smith,

As I sit here today surrounded by my peers in education, I can’t help but think, “How did we get here?” Why are educators spending their time defending programs that work? The difference today, or rather the only thing consistent about today, is that Outdoor School is once again on the chopping block.

You’ve heard from hundreds, maybe thousands of people who believe in this program. People whose lives have been changed, and who go on to do good work in our communities. Are you numb to it, yet?

I am working toward my Masters in Education. Both of my parents are teachers, mom is high school, dad is middle. My grandfather was a teacher. When I went to them and asked what they felt about Outdoor School being wiped out, my grandfather let out an audible gasp. He said the only thing constant for kids, beyond NCLB, myriad tests, CIM and CAM, portfolios, all the experiments that have been tried and failed, Outdoor School is the one constant in a kids’ life here. Beyond that, Outdoor School always meets state science standards every year. For far too many kids, OUTDOOR SCHOOL IS THE ONLY EXPOSURE TO SCIENCE DURING THEIR ENTIRE 6TH GRADE YEAR. I put that in caps because you’re inevitably skimming these letters.

Think for a moment that you’re also proposing a cut of Tubman. Now imagine those girls get to go to Outdoor School instead, and there they are taught by women scientists, women naturalists, and they have women mentors. They have high school girls who are interested in science and who are excited about decomposers, the forest, the river, and preserving OREGON. Of course it will never compare to the education they receive at Tubman. But come on! Give them one of those things.

I could go on forever, and you don’t have time for that. I can’t believe we’re here again.

Sincerely,

M. Strechert

"Make them work for it. Give ODS a break for once."

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:08:00 -0400

Dear PPS,

I just read a comment about the amount of money you’ve got going towards high school sports. I’m not going to tell you what you should do here but this seems like a slap in the face to all the other programs you’re looking to cut. I can’t believe you would ask Outdoor School to fundraise in the community before you ask the handful of high school athletes to do this. We all know they’d get the money from a local shoe company (or two) or some local professional athletes. Give Outdoor School the chance to repair itself from last year.

I never went to Outdoor School but my friends did and I would never say anything bad about it. I was on Varsity Track at Grant. I know how bad that field is but spending $2,800,000 this year to fix it is not a smart use of money. I know how important sports are to the ones who take part. But it’s just that: only the participants, fans and parents are seeing any benefit for such a huge sum of money. I like to think I was someone who saw something in everyone, but I know that most athletes are much more, let’s say egotistical than that. They think the world revolves around them. If you give them this money, that reaffirms this.

Make them work for it. Give Outdoor School a break for once.

Warmly,

Vance F. Cully

Grant High School ‘05

"When kids go to Outdoor School, the forest is their language."

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:27:12 -0400

Dear Portland Public Schools:

I’ve heard you are cutting Outdoor School and that is a bad decision. Also I have heard that you are cutting something with Bilingual Education in the district. I don’t think you’re realizing that Outdoor School is a benefit to ESL students as much as English speakers.

When kids go to Outdoor School, the forest is their language. They might not understand anything that they learn in school because they don’t speak the language or their parents don’t. But at Outdoor School, it doesn’t matter. They learn with their hands and everybody learns better this way. Kids help each other understand what the Student Leader is saying.

Once when I was a SL, I was teaching a group and their teacher told me that a couple of kids just moved here from Somalia. They didn’t speak english and they dressed differently than everyone else. Sometimes people who wear scarfs on their head and long robes are stared at. Maybe it’s racist, or not. But the girls in my group wore scarfs on their head and I didn’t want the other kids to make fun of them. So I treated them just like any other kid, even if they didn’t speak much english. Everybody else did too. These girls were wearing long robes and they took their arms out to touch the trees. I thought that was pretty cool because they wouldn’t have that opportunity anywhere else. I found out later that they did know a little english because they remembered the stuff I was teaching them. I remember they knew how to identify a Big Leaf Maple, a Western Red Cedar, and Sword Fern.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think they would have learned anything like that at school. They probably get made fun of all day long and they just needed someone with a little bit of patience. I was glad I could be that person.

Thank you,

Maria Dunham “Starfish”

Franklin High School

Namanu Outdoor School

Dear PPS:

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:59:44 -0400

Portland Public Schools has proposed cutting all funding for MESD Outdoor School in the 2012-13 budget. You can, and should send them an email with your thoughts about this at schoolboard@pps.net Dear PPS: is a space for your letters, testimonies, and messages to the school board at Portland Public Schools. We’ll do our best to make sure they read them.

DearPPS@gmail.com