Dozens of scholars walked out of sophistication final week to protest the Camas College District’s plan to mix Odyssey Center College and Discovery Excessive College into one campus at first of the 2025-26 faculty yr.
About 40 Odyssey and Discovery college students protested on campus, holding “Save Our School” and “Save Our Teachers” indicators and inspiring college students and Camas neighborhood members to put in writing to state legislators calling for greater ranges of funding for Washington’s public Ok-12 faculties.
“We’ve been writing to legislators because our schools are underfunded. It’s a problem not only for our school but for school districts all over the U.S., and we’re not talking about it enough,” Odyssey eighth-grader Katya Lomvardias stated.
Katya, 14, and Alani Goode, additionally an eighth-grader at Odyssey, led college students in a marketing campaign to not solely elevate consciousness concerning the faculty district’s monetary difficulties but additionally protest the merger of Odyssey and Discovery, the district’s two project-based studying faculties. They concern the plan will negatively affect college students and academics on the campus, the place college students are inspired to sort out real-world issues.
In line with the district’s February enrollment replace, Discovery serves 186 college students and Odyssey serves 276 college students.
The varsity district bought the previous Sharp Laboratories of America constructing, 5125 N.W. Nan Henriksen Method, Camas, in 2016 for $12.5 million and renovated the 55,000-square-foot area to accommodate as much as 400 college students.
In 2016, Camas College District voters accepted a $119.7 million services bond that included $32 million to assemble Discovery Excessive College, which opened within the fall of 2019.
College students concerned within the protest stated they concern merging the 2 faculties might disrupt most of the creative-learning strategies college students have come to understand on the open-concept Odyssey Center College constructing.
Katya and Alani stated the protests and letter-writing efforts weren’t meant to be a unfavourable reflection on the Camas faculty board, faculty district leaders or Principal Daniel Huld, identified to most college students as “Dr. Dan,” who oversees each project-based studying faculties.
“The point of what we’re doing is to point out that this is a systemic failure,” Katya stated. “We know it’s not (Camas schools superintendent John) Anzalone or the school board. We know it’s not their fault.”
Katya stated Huld has been assembly with college students and giving them area to share their issues concerning the future faculty merger.
“Dr. Dan is very supportive of students sharing their voices and protesting,” Katya stated. “He has been setting up student lunch meetings and panels, letting people know they can talk directly to him and ask questions. He’s really been awesome.”
‘Absolutely budget-related’
Doreen McKercher, the district’s communications director, stated the plan to mix the project-based studying faculties is a part of the district’s efforts to chop greater than $13 million from its 2025-26 finances to make up for income shortfalls attributed to decreased scholar enrollment, elevated workers and provide prices, and the district’s dwindling reserves.
“This is absolutely budget-related,” McKercher stated.
She stated the district will transfer Odyssey Center College college students into close by Discovery Excessive College at first of the 2025-26 faculty yr to create a project-based studying faculty that serves college students in grades six by 12.
“Discovery is a school built for 600 students but is still well under that,” McKercher stated.
McKercher stated the district is unsure what’s going to turn into of the previous Sharp constructing that has housed Odyssey college students since 2018.
To organize for the varsity merger, Huld has been surveying neighborhood members, workers and college students to determine one of the best ways to deal with the creation of the district’s first six by 12 faculty, McKercher stated. District leaders are taking a look at Vancouver iTech Preparatory, Vancouver Public Colleges’ STEM-based magnet faculty serving grades six by 12, for inspiration.
“(Huld) is working on what the layout will look like, where the students will go,” McKercher stated. “He is engaging families because we know there is nervousness about combining such an age range.”
The Camas College District will present the neighborhood with a finances standing replace at its digital city corridor from 5:30 to 7 p.m. right this moment. For extra info, go to camas.wednet.edu/?s=finances.