Philomath Middle School’s sixth graders are still headed to Outdoor School this spring for the full five-day, four-night experience. The open question has been how to pay for it — and that question got a bit easier this week.
Principal Steve Bell learned Tuesday that the school’s projected award from the state’s Outdoor School for All grant program has risen to $79,091.25. That’s $17,337.01 more than the previous projection and lowers the school’s estimated fundraising need from about $30,000 to closer to $12,000.
The grant won’t be official until the application window closes Oct. 15 and Bell said the new figure is a projection. Still, it shrinks the gap that a newly formed sixth-grade parent group, the school and community partners have been working to close.
Outdoor School in total will cost about $90,000 this year, Bell said.
For years, the program paid for itself through Outdoor School for All, funded by Oregon Lottery dollars through a ballot measure voters approved in 2016.
“Years ago, we did fundraising to help support and pay for the Outdoor School program,” Bell said. “Then Outdoor School for All came out through the Oregon Legislature as a grant program. We would apply and receive a grant award that paid for everything, so we were no longer fundraising specifically for Outdoor School.”
That changed in 2025, when the Legislature cut Outdoor School funding by about 20%. Philomath covered last year’s shortfall with a reserve account built up over the years. With those reserves spent, this year’s gap has to be covered through fundraising.
A bill to restore $6 million in statewide Outdoor School funding drew broad legislative support during the 2026 session but was not funded.
Bell said families of incoming sixth graders were told last spring that fundraising would likely be needed. The district is already making budget cuts, he added, so its general fund isn’t a likely source. District leaders, including Superintendent Susan Halliday, have committed to moving forward with planning the trip.
“It’s happening,” Bell said.
This year’s class of 132 sixth graders is scheduled to attend the last week of April at Camp Tadmor near Sweet Home.
HOW TO HELP >> Donate online: https://or-philomath-lite.intouchreceipting.com/Philomathoutdoorschool
>> Frolic craft fair: Nov. 7-8 with proceeds contributed and additional matches at donation table.
>> Turkey Bingo: 5-8 p.m. Nov. 13, Philomath High School.
>> Papa’s Pizza fundraiser: Dec. 1, Corvallis. Bring a flyer, which can’t be handed out at the restaurant.
Shelby Juhl, whose older daughter attended Outdoor School and whose youngest is now a sixth grader, reached out to Bell to offer help. She now leads a sixth-grade parent group. About 20 to 30 parents attended an informational meeting at back-to-school night. A core group of about 10 has stayed involved.
“A lot of the parents went to Outdoor School themselves, or like me, had an older child go through it,” Juhl said. “We just want it to stay the same as it has been for so long — four nights, five days. We want to keep that same experience if at all possible, without cutting it down to two days or making it a one-day thing at the school.”
Juhl said it was eye-opening to learn how much the program depends on state money.
“When Madison went, we didn’t have to pay anything,” she said, referring to her older daughter. “You showed up with the supply list, like sleeping bags, dropped your kid off, and off they went for five days.”
Juhl said she hopes the effort will eventually go beyond one year’s shortfall. Without a savings account or endowment, she worries future sixth-grade families will face the same scramble.
“You’re going to come across years when the group of parents just can’t do it,” Juhl said. “And does that set the precedent of cutting it down to three days, and then that becomes the norm?”
The centerpiece of this year’s fundraising is Turkey Bingo, scheduled for 5-8 p.m. Nov. 13 at Philomath High School. The 19th edition of the event will feature bingo games starting at 5:30 p.m., a silent auction and food for purchase.
Turkey Bingo began as an Outdoor School fundraiser. After state funding arrived, proceeds went to other middle school programs, most recently band, choir and drama. This year, the money goes back to Outdoor School.
In past years, Turkey Bingo has brought in anywhere from $5,000 to $12,000.
Juhl said the parent group is trying to collect silent auction donations from local businesses, including gift baskets and services. There have been challenges but she believes the community will respond.
“I do think this community will pull through, because I think everyone will see the importance of it,” Juhl said. “We just have to get it out there.”
The Philomath Frolic and Rodeo has also stepped in. It will donate proceeds from its craft fair Nov. 7-8, and parent volunteers will staff a donation table there. The Frolic will match up to $3,000 in donations collected that weekend.
Papa’s Pizza Parlor at 1030 SW Third St. in Corvallis will host a fundraiser Dec. 1. Customers who bring a flyer that day will send 50% of their food purchase to Outdoor School. Beverages and delivery orders are excluded. Fundraiser Bucks bought that day for future visits will send 25% of their value to the program.
The school and parent group are also applying for grants from the Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund and the Benton Community Foundation, whose next grant cycle opens Dec. 1. Parents are also exploring other dine-out nights.
A donation request to families, such as the $100 per student the school once asked for years ago, remains a possibility. Juhl favors a “sponsor a kid” option so families who can give more can help those who can’t.
Bell, who attended Outdoor School as a sixth grader himself, said the week is a milestone for kids.
“For some kids, it’s the very first time away from home,” he said. “I think it’s a mark in time of independence and community building with your peers. It’s ‘I can manage my own behavior and my interactions with others without my parents.'”
The program is also distinctly local. Philomath High School students serve as counselors, and most of the field studies educators went through the program themselves. Jennifer Campbell, program director at Western Oregon Outdoor School, is a Philomath graduate who attended in sixth grade.
“The whole program is very community-centered, and I think that’s probably quite unique,” Bell said.
Both Bell and Juhl hope that connection extends to people without a sixth grader at home, such as alumni, grandparents and families whose kids went years ago.
“People are so generous about supporting programs that are meaningful to them,” Bell said.
