Olympic Park Institute

Just a few weeks ago, Dave Colthorp retiried from his work with Olympic National Park. On behalf of the staff and students of Olympic Park Institute, I would like to thank and commend him in particular for his work on the restoration work at the Rosemary Inn site along the shore of Lake Crescent.

As a wonderful season opener this year, I got the pleasure of working with a group of amazing seniors from Miramonte High School, in California. Teaching this school is an educator’s delight, because you are given a group of highly capable, college bound young adults who are ready to challenge the depths of your abilities. 

As Expedia’s Community Relations Manager, I had the opportunity to visit Olympic Park Institute’s campus in the fall of 2009 to see the students in action. It was so refreshing to see young people engaged and excited about exploring the outdoors instead of glued to video games, televisions and cell phones.

Check out this great opportunity for western Washington schools to recieve partial funding for your Olympic Park Institute program through BECU!

BECU School Grants are available to help fund educational materials and/or programs that directly enhance students’ learning experiences that align with the missions and values of BECU: financial education, environmental sustainability and technology tools to enhance learning in reading, writing, math or science.

Here is another great opportunity to apply for cash grants for your school!

Intel Foundation: Intel Schools of Distinction
The Intel Schools of Distinction program, an initiative of the Intel Foundation, recognizes U.S. schools that have demonstrated excellence in math and science education.

How do you deal with your garbage when no one is watching?   Do you recycle, compost, and reuse things in the same manner when you are alone in the office?
 

I am lucky to work with so many amazing and dedicated teachers. I saw this award opportunity and thought of all our teachers who go above and beyond to provide their students with hands-on learning opportunities to enrich their students learning in the classroom. I know that many of our teachers would be very competitive for this award. Good Luck!

The Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence (AASTE) is an annual awards program that recognizes extraordinary contributions by educators across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada who are elevating the level of science literacy through creativity in the classroom and motivation of students.

Somewhere, somewhen (it was probably in college) it occurred to me that water is magic. And as someone with a skeptical eye towards magic, I don’t use the term loosely. In fact, I would argue that water is actually better than magic, because usually, when you learn how a magic trick is done, it doesn’t really feel all that magical anymore. Water, on the other hand, is the opposite. The more we learn about it, the more magical it seems!