The new school year is underway, and it is always an exciting time. It is particularly exciting as the Orcas Island Education Foundation has made several donations that will support critical programs at our schools.

This week the school board voted to accept the following donations from OIEF towards these programs:

• $40,000 to the Middle School/High School Futures Lounge. This is a space created in 2021 where students and families can find resources to help with post-secondary planning — finding a job or internship, investigating trade school opportunities, or applying to 2- and 4-year colleges.

• $25,000 toward Outdoor Education in the elementary. The goal of the program is to integrate outdoor experiences for elementary students into the curriculum being studied in the classroom. The experience is aligned to the NGS Standards, it enhances the K-5 science program (STEM/STEAM), and it helps to improve student achievement on the annual WA State Science Assessment for 5th grade.

• $23,000 to underwrite a new Family Support Liaison. This position provides support to the multilingual instructional program with specific responsibilities for enlisting parental involvement in students’ educational programs, working with parents in identifying and achieving goals, accessing support services, creating training programs, and facilitating positive parent, school, and student relationships.

In addition to these donations, A*OK (Art for Orcas Kids) is an ongoing program under OIEF that is a long-standing enrichment to our schools. The OISD is grateful to the Orcas Island Education Foundation and its donors. Without these meaningful contributions, we would lose several important enhancements to our schools. We are deeply thankful for OIEF’s work. If you would like to learn more about OIEF, or donate, please visit oief.org.

Eric Webb

Superintendent, Orcas School