Communities in San Joaquin County raised funds to take students on an educational adventure. Funds raised will pay for hundreds of students to participate in outdoor-education programs, including Science Camp, where students take part in inquiry-based learning in the High Sierra at the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) Sky Mountain Outdoor Education Center.
All San Joaquin County schools were invited to participate in the raffle coordinated by the SJCOE Educational Foundation (SJCOEEF). All proceeds go directly to the school that sold the tickets for their outdoor education trip because of generous donations: Raymus Homes in Manteca sponsored the printing of 20,000 raffle tickets and the SJCOEEF donated $5,000 in prize money.
San Joaquin County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Troy Brown drew the three winning tickets:
First Place ($3,500): Roya Bell (Ticket sold by River Islands Technology Academy, Banta Unified School District)
Second Place ($1,000): Marlen Cabrera (Ticket sold by EPIC Academy, Banta Unified School District)
Third Place ($500): Marian Tualla (Ticket sold by Walter Woodward Elementary, Manteca Unified School District)
This year, 16 schools participated in the Outdoor Education raffle, selling 13,337 tickets, and raising a total of $66,802.
Since 1957, more than 500,000 elementary students have participated in SJCOE outdoor education program known as Science Camp. The SJCOE acquired the 62-acre property in Placer County in December, 2020. The Sky Mountain Outdoor Education Center offers year-round activities, including Science Camp. For more information about Sky Mountain visit: https://outdooreducation.sjcoescience.org/
Participating Schools:
Participating Schools: Brock Elliot Elementary, EPIC Academy, Golden West Elementary, Great Valley Elementary, Joseph Widmer Elementary, Lammersville Elementary, Nile Garden Elementary, Park View Elementary, Peter Hansen Elementary, River Islands Technology Academy, Sequoia Elementary, Shasta Elementary, STEAM Academy, Veritas Elementary, Walter Woodward Elementary, and Lincoln Elementary.