GALILEO ACADEMY 101
17000 Silica Drive Victorville, California 92395 (760) 241-1753
To Whom It May Concern:
I would like to express how intensely educational and highly motivational a field trip to Camp Ocean Pines in picturesque Cambria, California will be for your students. I have been teaching for the past thirteen years, and have taken my students on a multitude of excursions in New York and in California. None of these other experiences can even come close to comparing to the caliber of excitement and learning that a student will encounter at Camp Ocean Pines. As a result, I have chosen to focus the entirety of our fundraising efforts on making this a possibility for all of our fifth and sixth grade students at Galileo Academy.
I presently teach at a small school in a growing suburban high-desert city about seventy miles north of Los Angeles. In spite of our relatively close proximity to several beaches, until our trip to Camp Ocean Pines, close to forty percent of our students had never actually stepped foot on the coastal shore! Camp Ocean Pines allows students to actually interact with marine creatures in the tide pools and learn about oceans and their species through hands-on lessons and exploration opportunities. The knowledge that our students gained on the trip brought our textbook-based instruction to life. Students are now able to relate their varied experiences from Camp Ocean Pines to classroom curriculum. Last year, 100% of our fifth grade students that attended the field trip to Camp Ocean Pines scored at the levels of “advanced” or “proficient” on the California standardized test and I am sure that a portion of this success can be attributed to Camp Ocean Pines’ interactive teaching/learning methods. (Students learn best “doing”!)
The camp itself is situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The property is teeming with wildlife allowing campers to observe deer, various species of birds, insects, etc. up close and in their natural habit. The cabins are spacious and well-equipped with modern conveniences. The meal plan contains delicious “child-friendly” favorites and is flexible for those with dietary restrictions. Camp staff members are friendly and knowledgeable. Their enthusiasm about nature is contagious making Camp Ocean Pines a very exciting place!
The fun even goes beyond the actual campground. Our students continue to rave about the excursions they went on such as: a tour of Hearst Castle, San Luis Obispo Farmers’ Market, kayaking in Morro Bay, Cal Poly, and visits to see elephant seals. It is absolutely amazing that transportation and entrance fees to all of the above are included in the camp fees!
As much as we would like to keep this “hidden jewel” all to ourselves, we continue to urge other educators to take their classes to Camp Ocean Pines. One week at Camp Ocean Pines is equivalent to SEVERAL other field trips combined, at even a lower cost. Most importantly, your students will learn lifelong teambuilding skills and return with a better sense of personal responsibility regarding their roles as global citizens as related to environmental conservation. We have taken a group of students to Camp Ocean Pines for the past two years are in the process of booking next year’s trip right now!
Feel free to contact me at for any further information.
Sincerely,
Melissa Timko-Miller, mtimko@vesd.net
Teacher of the Year
Bullard TALENT Elementary School
4950 N. Harrison, Fresno, CA 93704 Phone: (559) 248-7030
Dear Camp Ocean Pines staff,
Now that we’ve returned to Fresno and our busy activities here at Bullard TALENT Elementary School, I wanted to let you know how influential Camp Ocean Pines was to my Room 30 students. Everyday students request to do the jellyfish dance (from the Talent Show) or sometimes one of the students will break out into song with “It’s a 60′s party from a 60′s movie…..” Then we jump on our chairs/surfboards and finish it off. Just like that. We sang that song all the way home – the bus driver was stunned, to say the least.
I have shared pictures with parents. They also see the scrapbooks that each of my students is compiling on the entire camp experience. We looked up the tides the other day, have since studied the anatomy of several creatures we personally found in the tide pool, and can now pronounce “anemone”! One mother has reported to me that there is a “funny smell” coming from her son’s room! She asked me why every dinner conversation is monopolized with the subject of starfish…
Going to Camp Ocean Pines has been the best experience of many of our lives. Our parents have become closer because of it, our students relate better to each other, and it supplies us with a huge bank of memories that we are able to tap into at least once a day. The timeline casually used in our classroom is that of BC and AC, before camp and after camp. You and your staff have successfully provided me with many lessons to continue here in Fresno. Thank you again for such a positive experience.
Sincerely,
Cherie’ D. Luck
6th grade teacher
Bullard TALENT Elementary School
Fresno Unified School District
Bishop’s Peak Elementary School
451 Jaycee Drive, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 Phone: (805) 596-4030
Dear Caryn,
After just returning from a very fun and memorable stay last week at your camp with my son’s 5th grade class from Bishop’s Peak Elementary, I felt compelled to send you this letter. I have five children, three of whom are now in college, and I have been on many a school trip to such places as Yosemite, Catalina, San Francisco, Sacramento and Rancho El Chorro. Thinking back to those trips, I can honestly say that none of them were quite as enjoyable as our stay at Camp Ocean Pines.
It is very clear to me that a great deal of thought has gone into your program. The Naturalists you employ are all highly educated, energetic and engaging individuals, who have the gift of inspiring young people. I was very impressed by their ability to draw in our students, making nature and science interesting and accessible while blending in an assortment of games and activities when their attention began to wander. Every single student in both my cabin and hiking group expressed great sadness when it was time to depart, and one particular student whom I had never seen smile before our trip to Camp Ocean Pines, had the time of her life! She ended up participating in the squid dissection (much to everyone’s surprise) and even stayed to witness most of the squirrel dissection. Her attitude was positive and responsive throughout the entire trip, and I saw her reaching out to others in a very special way.
During our three day stay, I observed our students working together, being kind to one another and greatly enjoying each other’s company during our hikes, lessons and free time. I believe your Naturalists fostered teamwork and comradery among our students, and was so happy to hear Olas’ parting words, encouraging our students to continue their newly formed friendships and treat one another well in the coming years, including junior high.
Thank you for making such a wonderful place for students to learn and grow in so many ways! I don’t think I’ve seen a more beautiful setting, and the newly built cabins are aesthetically pleasing, comfortable and highly functional. The food is also worthy of mention, as it is healthy, delicious and enjoyed by all ages!
In my son’s classroom letter of thanks to me he said “The experience I had at Camp Ocean Pines with you is probably our most fun thing we’ve done together. I hope another opportunity to bond like this one will pop up again!” Another quote from a 5th grade girl in my cabin expresses my sentiments exactly: “I wish I could rewind those three days all over again and have the same fun all over again!”
Thanks to all of you at Camp Ocean Pines, for making such a magical place for us to enjoy!
Sincerely,
Lisa Guy
5th Grade Parent/Chaperone
Bishop’s Peak Elementary School
San Luis Coastal Unified School District