It’s a day out of school, but not a day off from learning. Every year, the fifth grade class of Fall City Elementary School, and the AP Biology class at Mount Si High School get together at Olallie State Park for an exploration of insects, animals, plants and all types of biodiversity, and learn together.
“The kids learn so much more by listening to other kids,” explained Mount Si science teacher Andrew Rapin, who coordinates the Outdoor Classroom program each year with Fall City teachers Cassie McLellan, Barb Van Oeveren, Cheryl Coleman and Melissa Danberg. Outdoor Classroom, also supported by Nature Vision, is a series of learning stations scattered throughout the park, where high school students teach groups of fifth graders about their particular subject, ecology, adaptation, survival skills, and so on.