(Photo | Courtesy of Cascades Academy)
Cascades Academy and Think Wild are excited to bring together their organizations in an official community partnership. As stated in its mission, Think Wild serves to inspire the High Desert community to care for and protect native wildlife through rescue and rehabilitation, outreach/education and conservation. In this partnership, both organizations aim to mutually promote significant opportunities for service and experiential learning for all grade levels on campus, at Think Wild’s Wildlife Hospital and Conservation Center, and in the community.
This partnership and the educational goals set out within it directly align with Cascades Academy’s priority to weave together academics with experiential education and service learning to inspire socially responsible individuals ready for a diverse and changing world. “This exciting partnership is a wonderful example of how our rich, experiential program utilizes our community and community partners as a classroom and helps our students make a positive impact on their world,” said Julie Amberg, head of school at Cascades Academy. “We have loved working with Think Wild over the last couple of years, and we are excited to deepen this partnership moving forward,” stated Amberg.
In order to be stewards for wildlife protection and preserve the natural heritage of our communities, both organizations believe that students should gain knowledge and appreciation for nature and wildlife. Through educational programs focusing on awareness, conservation and prevention, Think Wild promotes conservation strategy and stewardship among local students, provides practical hands-on information and inspires simple behavior changes that help students help wildlife in their day-to-day lives. The educational programs and service-learning experiences provided by Think Wild directly align with the mission and educational goals of Cascades Academy and can, in turn, support the goals and mission of Think Wild in educating students and the larger community to care for and protect native wildlife.
“Think Wild is excited to officially partner with Cascades Academy,” said Sally Compton, executive director of Think Wild. “Over the past year, we have gotten to know their dedicated teachers and passionate, motivated students both through wildlife education programming in the classroom and youth volunteer projects at the Think Wild Hospital and Conservation Center. I am confident that this partnership will inspire a future generation of wildlife advocates that will make an impact here in Central Oregon and far beyond,” stated Compton.
This partnership aims to not only support students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade at Cascades Academy, but also their families and the larger community. The various experiential education and service-learning opportunities that Think Wild provides will inspire students and families to become more socially responsible and community-focused individuals. By educating this population, Think Wild will also benefit in working towards achieving the goals of their mission.
