Give the Gift of Yosemite Exploration to Presidio MS Kids

Support Presidio Middle School’s Outdoor Education Yosemite Trip!

Presidio Middle School offers a long-established (40 plus years) five-night immersive outdoor education program each May in Yosemite National Park facilitated by NatureBridge. In order to make this trip more accessible to all students, we need your support. Your generous donations will help fund this amazing trip for students from all different socio-economic backgrounds and cultures. Presidio Middle School is a public school in San Francisco with a very diverse population. Over 35% of our student population come from socioeconomically disadvantaged households and qualify for the free and reduced lunch program. The cost for one student to participate in this transformative program has risen by 25% to $1,100 per student. This cost includes transportation, substitute coverage for participating teachers, room, board, instruction, and supervision. Many of our students would not have an opportunity like this without your help. The significant increase in the NatureBridge tuition cost, in addition to the rising costs of transportation, makes our previous budgeting plan insufficient to cover the total cost of the program. Although Presidio Middle School is located close to the ocean, there are some students who have never been to Ocean Beach or crossed the Golden Gate Bridge.

The NatureBridge environmental science program at Yosemite National Park instills the wonder and science of the natural world in all who participate. Their multifaceted curriculum assists students in better understanding how the environment works and how humans interact with nature. The program stresses daily hiking, physical challenges, and daily instruction in geology, flora and fauna, biology, climate change, and environmental issues like human impacts, invasive species, and conservation. One of their goals is to develop a generation of environmental stewards who have the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to collaborate, protect, and advocate for the natural world.

This week-long environmental science program engages students in a hands-on learning experience in one of the world’s most renowned national parks, Yosemite National Park. Students will explore the deep valleys, grand meadows, and many spectacular waterfalls, while challenging themselves physically, building meaningful relationships, and discovering a caring relationship with the natural world.

WE ARE REQUESTING YOUR CHARITABLE DONATION TODAY to help support this transformative experience. The pandemic isolated so many of our children and students from the world and one another. The power of nature can bridge this divide by having kids engage in this Yosemite outdoor education program. We hope to raise enough money to offset costs for all of the students, and we would like to offer more scholarships to our most at-risk population at Presidio Middle School so that they will have the opportunities to explore, learn, and connect with the natural world.

Please donate today so that we can make a difference in the lives of deserving kids now, and every year after. Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated and would ensure that these kids and students in the future are able to take part in this amazing opportunity.