On MLK day of 2024, OVS students of every grade participated in the National Day of Service. While some volunteered with the Ojai Land Conservancy or made blankets to donate to HELP of Ojai, a lucky few did restoration work on Anacapa Island.
This year, 15 OVS fifth graders and five seniors stepped on the Island Packers boat that would transport them to a new and exciting destination for most, and a flashback seen for some, those high school students first visiting when they were in elementary school.
Upon arrival, the seniors diverged to their own plot of land, planting native vegetation that once thrived on Anacapa before it was subjected to European invasive species. The 5th graders helped remove an irrigation system that was no longer necessary, a victory achieved with the help of OVS.
OVS senior Karin Hahn remembers going out when she was in fourth and fifth grade.
“I think it’s wonderful seeing class after class enjoying it as much as I did when I was in fifth grade,” she said. “The Channel Islands was such a big part of my OVS experience because of outdoor education trips, so going back year after year and helping restore the islands was super rewarding.”
Karin had the opportunity to go back during high school and help restore Anacapa and Santa Cruz for a total of five years of service.
Fifth grade is a year of early US history, working with decimals and at OVS, the Channel Islands National Park. Since 2015, OVS students have visited the Channel Islands annually and participated in restoration work. From weeding to planting native plants, students of different grades have had the opportunity to leave their mark on our local National Park.
The story started when fifth grade and formally fourth grade teacher Hadley English came to OVS almost a decade ago. Mrs. English integrated the Channel Islands into the core fourth grade curriculum, and an island visit was an additional element to the fourth grade experience, one that became popular and unique to OVS. When she switched to teaching fifth grade in 2022, her self-made curriculum came with her.
The class visits Anacapa island, only going to Santa Cruz once. When the kids arrive on the island, it’s like entering a fairytale, seeing a place they have learned so much about but never actually visited. “When the students finally see the island up close and personal, all of our studying becomes real and tangent,” said Mrs. English.
While one year of Channel Islands restoration comes to a close, a year from now a new set of eager fifth graders and reflective high school students will once again step foot on island soil.
“It makes me happy to know that my current and former students can take a piece of the Channel Islands National Park with them wherever they go,” Mrs. English said. “It’s so important to learn about something so sacred that is right in our own background.”