Outdoor School receives $25,000 grant

Gray Family Foundation funds 3rd & 4th grade programs

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The following is a press release from the Klamath Outdoor Science School

FORT KLAMATH, Ore. - Klamath Outdoor Science School (KOSS) recently received a $25,000 Environmental Education Grant from the Gray Family Foundation to do a series of outdoor field studies with local elementary students.

Third and fourth-grade students participating in the program will travel to local natural areas with KOSS naturalist-instructors to do hands-on science explorations and investigations. 

Programs will begin in March and continue through the rest of the school year, and Gray FF will consider continued funding for this program in 2022 and 2023 as well.

The programs will tie in with the students’ classroom science units and support Next Generation Science Standards.  Third graders will study ecological concepts, focusing on biodiversity, plant and animal life cycles and adaptations to the environment. Fourth graders will study local geology, including volcanoes, geologic faults and strata, and erosion and deposition.

The Gray Family Foundation, based in Portland and part of the Oregon Community Foundation, is the legacy of John and Betty Gray and is “founded on the belief that fostering an understanding and appreciation of our natural world is a crucial part of a child’s education.”  The Gray FF is notable for its strong support of Outdoor School and other environmental education programs.

Malin, Merrill, Ferguson, and Shasta Elementary classes have already signed up to participate in the program. Each class will do multiple field studies to learn and reinforce concepts coordinated with their classroom science learning.  Other Klamath Basin third and fourth grade classes are also eligible to participate.  Interested teachers or administrators should contact Marjorie Glass at marj@glassmail.net.

KOSS is also currently hiring instructors with a strong natural science background to support this and other programs. Contact billhuntkoss@gmail.com to apply.