Fossil Charter School
Mission statement:
Our mission is to empower students to reach their full potential through an innovative curriculum
that utilizes site-based experiences and technology in the study of natural resources. Our goal is
to engage and nurture learners to aid them in becoming healthy, responsible citizens whom are
career and college ready.
Beliefs:
We believe all students can learn. Students must leave high school with the ability to read, write,
and effectively communicate using various media. Students need to be able to understand and
articulate information and ideas. We believe in a balanced curriculum that incorporates rigorous
and relevant instruction in core (foundational?) subjects, but also includes creative and technical
studies. Beyond the academic, we strive for a learning environment that assists students’
creative, physical, emotional, and social development.
Direction:
With our Mission and our Beliefs we want to focus our energy and resources toward a site
based natural resources curriculum that introduces students to the agricultural economic
happenings with-in our state. We want to explore the how’s, what’s, and why’s of the natural
resource and agricultural opportunities and happenings that are ever present and changing in
our state and the technological impacts on these changes.
Focused Activities:
We propose a 1 year requirement towards graduation that is a curriculum and class focused on
the Natural Resources, Economics, and Technology where students will write, speak, present,
research and build the skills needed for college and career readiness. We envision this
curriculum and staff collaboration to include discussion in social sciences of the every changing
economic world we live in and how that brings different workers and cultures to our
communities. We see this curriculum as an introduction to the amazing variety of economic
opportunities with-in the agricultural business and natural resources associated with those
areas.
Industries of Focus:
Wheat, Beef, Cranberries, Hazelnuts, Grass Seed, Orchard Fruits, Fish, Shell Fish, Vita-Culture,
Wood Products, Wind Power, Hydro-Electric Power, Solar
Possible Excursions:
Oregon Wheat Growers Association, Oregon Wheat Commission, Painted Hills Ranches Beef
Processing Centers
Painted Hills Offices and or Guest Speakers
Oregon Cranberries Grower Association, Oregon Grass Seed Commission
Hazel Nut Growers Cooperative
Oregon Oyster Farm, Pacific Shellfish Institute
Oregon Wine Growers Associations
Various Lumber Companies and Mills
Bonneville Power Administration
PGE
Middle School Electives
The 7th and 8th grades have cruise courses where our students have options of things to study in
areas of interest which may help decide which electives we will teach in high school. In the past,
we have taught sign language, gardening, wood shop, intro to welding, Spanish, study skills and
other classes of student interest.
Grade School Natural Resources Areas of Study
Quarter themes (a unit within the quarter)
- 1st quarter- Trees
- 2nd quarter – Water
- 3rd quarter – Land
- 4th quarter – Stewardship
Field trip/ activity ideas
- Bee hives- honey
- Sally’s Greenhouse
- Hanging baskets
- Wool to yarn
- Train ride to orchards
- Warm Springs/ Umatilla tribes
- Windmills
- Painted Hills
- Blue Basin
- Maryhill Museum/Stonehenge
- Pumpkin patch- Redmond or Hood River
We began the process of theses site based learning experiences in 2016-2017. Our staff met
several times to create a comprehensive 4-year plan. Here is what the students have had the
opportunity to see and do in the past two years as part of our six year rotation of field trips:
2023-2024
Fall: Harney County/Steens Mountain Beef production, Holistic ranching practices,
wild and scenic outdoors management and preservation
Spring: Yellowstone National Park National Park Systems, wildlife preservation, fisheries
2024-2025
Fall: Champoeg/St Paul Grass seed farms, Oregon History, pollinators, Hazelnuts,
Blueberries, Grass Seed, Nursery stock.
Spring: Boston: American Revolutionary History
2025-2026
Fall: Bandon/Southern Oregon Coast/Northern California Cranberry bogs and
production, historical lighthouses, marine mammal management and preservation
Spring: Ashland/Crater Lake National Park systems, wild and scenic outdoors management,
Shakespeare Festival
2026-2027
Fall: Wallowa Valley/Joseph/Wallowa Lake Kokanee fisheries, land management,
hunting management, wild and scenic outdoors management
Spring: Atlanta GA Civil War history
2027-2028
Fall: Newport/Central Coast Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon Coast
Aquarium, Ocean life management, crabbing and seafood industry
Spring: Seattle Shellfish Farming in the Puget Sound, Tourism, MoPop museum in Seattle as
well as a Mariners game
2028-2029
Fall: Astoria/North Coast Columbia Par Pilot association, Tourism, Oceanic trade,
Oregon Crab fishing seafood processing, Fort Stevens State Park, Fort Clatsop, and a robotics
class at the Maritime Museum.
Spring: Washington DC Federal government, early American History, Smithsonian Museum,
Library of Congress, White House
2029-2030
Fall: Harney County/Steens Mountain
Spring: Yellowstone National Park
2030-2031
Fall: Champoeg/St Paul
Spring: TBD Possibly Philadelphia PA
Our goal is to introduce our students to what the great state of Oregon offers in its varied
regions and expand horizons to study some of the history of our United States.
The rich history in each region, what today holds for economic prosperity in the natural
resources that our state produces, and what the future looks like in all these regions as our state
population grows. We want our students to see themselves in some of these roles and give
them a head start into exploring what life beyond high school may look like for each of them.
We have been blessed that our school board supports these trips and the richness and depth
that these experiences add to our high school students’ education.