Camp is an outdoor classroom

Published 10:36 am Thursday, October 2, 2008

Tucked in the woods along the banks of the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River in North Bend, students experience environmental education hands on at Waskowitz, the nation’s oldest “outdoor school.” The beautiful educational setting in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains has been enjoyed by thousands of children for more than 50 years.

Camp North Bend, as it was formerly called, was built in 1935 by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers as a camp to house young men when they went to work developing resources in the Valley. The camp provided a home for more than 200 men as they worked on forestry and park projects.

Camp North Bend was constructed in a rustic style reminiscent of the time, complete with mess hall, officer’s quarters, sleeping barracks, an infirmary, a recreation building, a caretaker’s house and a flag ground.

After the demise of the CCC in 1942, the camp was used as a temporary holding station for Coast Guard personnel during World War II. In 1946, the Highline School District leased the facility and changed the name to Camp Waskowitz in honor of Fritz Waskowitz, a former University of Washington football team captain who died during the war.

In the 1950s, Highline School District purchased the property and Highline’s superintendent, Carl Jensen, transformed the facility into a unique outdoor classroom in the forest. Waskowitz director Roberta McFarland credits Jensen’s energy and charisma for creating a successful program.

Waskowitz became known as the most comprehensive outdoor school in the country.

Today, Puget-Sound-area fifth- and sixth-graders enjoy the facility as a weeklong overnight environmental camp. Students from Highline, Vashon Island and Mukilteo school districts, as well as schools in Kent, Seattle and elsewhere, make the annual trek to North Bend to study in the Cascades. For many students, the week at camp with teachers and peers is the highlight of their elementary-school experience.

McFarland referred to the program as an interactive opportunity for students.

“We have an incredible living library here. Students complete a research project while they are here. They must define the scope of their project, set it up, present the data, discuss implications for the future and state their recommendations for further study,” McFarland said.

Science is a major focus.

“Students are exploring nature, reading, writing, learning with field guides. They’re blending science, language arts, reading and math, as well as learning important ecological lessons,” McFarland said.

Students return home knowing how to preserve resources in their everyday life.

Waskowitz employs about 25 people in various positions, with 10 living on site. Waskowitz staff members make learning fun for students by dressing up in costume, ad-libbing, singing and hamming it up for the kids. Aware that this may be the first time away from home for some students, staff members go out of their way to create what they hope is an upbeat, positive, happy experience for campers.

Waskowitz also relies on the help of high-school students enrolled in their “Waskowitz Environmental Leadership Semester” program. Many of these high-schoolers are former Waskowitz campers who earn high-school credits while living on site for a semester. High-school counselors stay in the dorms with students, assist with classes and act as role models for attending campers.

In 2001, Waskowitz began a fourth-grade day program called “Celebrating Washington’s Heritage,” an interdisciplinary experience allowing students to simulate early pioneer living in the state. In November and December, fourth-graders fill the grounds to learn firsthand about Washington state history.

Stations set up throughout the camp for the program represent the rich and varied history of Washington.

“The Valley is a microcosm of our state’s history,” McFarland explained. “Much of Washington state history occurred right here in our own back yard.”

North Bend Elementary School fourth-graders attended the program in early December. Teacher Shari Myers said the Waskowitz curriculum directly tied in with what students had been studying in class.

“Waskowitz brought history alive for our students. The kids operated a telegraph, pounded nails, laid railroad tracks, carved a cedar canoe in a longhouse, tasted salmon smoked in a traditional smokehouse, panned for gold in the river, went into a kerosene-lit mine shaft and loaded a coal car. They will remember these experiences for years, as opposed to just reading about it in a text book,” Myers said.

Waskowitz is one of two remaining CCC camps in the nation. The camp was designated by King County in 1992 as a historic landmark and was listed in 1993 on the National Register of Historic Places.

Waskowitz is available to the public for rental on weekends and during the summer. Church groups, school groups, Scouts, corporations and private groups use the camp as a retreat. An outdoor pool is available for summer use.

For information on renting Waskowitz, call (206) 433-2462. Visitors may attend an open house on Sunday, March 5 from 1-3 p.m.; and Sunday, April 30 from 1-3 p.m. Waskowitz is located at 45509 S.E. 150th in North Bend.