PUSD celebrates 30-year commitment to outdoor education
The entire Plumas County community is invited to a special celebration on the lawn of the historic Quincy schoolhouse next week.
From 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 50 Church St., the Plumas Unified School District will host a 30-year anniversary event for its Feather River Outdoor School program — previously known as the Outdoor Education Camp.
If it rains, the event will be held in the cafeteria of Quincy Elementary School at 246 Alder Street.
With a host of speakers, refreshments and entertaining videos of last year’s sixth-grade adventures at camp, the district will pay tribute to those involved in making the program what it is today and commemorate three decades of dedication to environmental education in the forested mountains of Plumas County’s vital watershed.
“The PUSD is committed to outdoor education to provide our students with hands-on learning opportunities to learn not only the science about where we live, but about themselves and their classmates,” said Kristy Warren, assistant superintendent for instructional services with PUSD.
She welcomes parents, students, educators, local partners and outdoor lovers of all ages to attend the celebration and said one of the important values of the district’s Feather River Outdoor School program is that it teaches students to be stewards of the land and environment.
According to the school district, the program has grown from a 2-day, 1-night camp in 1988 to a thriving 4-day, 3-night educational “centerpiece experience” that is memorable for all sixth-grade students countywide.
Groundwork for the outdoor school was laid by the initial pioneers of the program, that include Joe Hagwood, Warren Grandall, John Gallagher and Jim Schaber, with help from Evelyn Whisman and Cindy Phelps.
As preparations move forward for the event in Quincy, the district said in a statement that local schools have received additional support from “the incredibly receptive community,” and that the camp experience “has since expanded and flourished with Outdoor Education Coordinator Rob Wade’s visionary leadership and commitment to outdoor education.”
Crediting local partnerships that have made the school program both feasible and sustainable, PUSD also expressed sincere appreciation for support received from the Plumas National Forest Service, Feather River College, U.C. Berkeley’s Forestry Camp and the community at large.
“The rest of the country is now recognizing — through the Next Generation Science Standards — what PUSD Outdoor Education has been doing in Plumas County for the last 30 years,” Warren said, adding that the celebration will honor outdoor education as “an integral part of a Plumas Unified education. This event is for everyone who supports outdoor education and the beautiful place that we live. We hope to see you all there!”
I absolutely love this program when my kids were in it. Rob is awsome, he so knowledgable and creative
That was a program I wished I had, had growing up. Keep it going.