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Fifth-grade students at Gus Franklin Jr. Elementary School will attend science camp thanks to a contribution by the Adelanto City Council.
Council members visited the STEM school on Thursday, Dec. 11, to present students with a check for $7,500 to help fund camp costs at Three Oaks Outdoor Science School in Crestline.
Teacher David Eberhardt said about 70 of his students will attend the four-day outdoor camp scheduled in April 2026 in the San Bernardino Mountains. While at camp, students will learn about botany, geology, astronomy, meteorology and other important STEM topics, school officials said.
“We’re so very thankful to the Adelanto City Council for caring about our students,” Eberhardt told the Daily Press. “Their contribution to our students speaks volumes.”
The total cost for each student is $425, which equates to roughly $30,000 the fifth-grade class is trying to raise to cover the cost of camp and transportation, Eberhardt said.
“We have an amazing group of fifth-grade parents who have organized various fundraisers at local businesses such as Raising Cane’s, Red Robin and El Pollo Loco,” Eberhardt said. “These parents are even making shirts, soaps, and various other items to sell to help cover the costs.”
Many students have also been selling chocolate bars to help with their own costs.
The gift of learning
After taking students to the science camp for nearly a decade, the Adelanto Elementary School District could no longer subsidize the trip, Eberhardt told the Daily Press.
“As a civic project, our kids wrote persuasive letters to the city council asking them to help fund our camp trip,” said Eberhardt, who has taught for 27 years. “Our kids and parents also spoke at council meetings, sharing about the camp.”
Eberhardt shared how the city council was very “welcoming” as they listened to students and parents, and later approved the donation.
After speaking to the council, the students returned to school with a deeper understanding and appreciation for the importance of local government. They also learned the power of writing and speaking, Eberhardt told the Daily Press.
Student Stella Panameno expressed her thoughts on the city’s donation.
“We are all very thankful for the money you are putting into our science camp field trip,” Panameno said. “Some parents don’t have tons of money to pay for science camp, but because of this, many students can go thanks to you.”
In addition to Panameno, several other fifth-graders and their parents shared their appreciation to the Adelanto City Council.
“We are thankful for you guys for giving us $7,500 to go to science camp,” Emma Moreno said. “Thank you for giving $7,500 to us to get to experience science camp.”
“I am excited to go to science camp because I love nature and I have never had the chance to go camping,” Isaiah Chaydez said.
Parent Noemi Flores Alvidrez said science camp means so much to the students, as it inspires them, challenges them and shows them how exciting learning can be.
“Adelanto’s gift is more than a donation; it’s an investment in our children and their future,” Alvidrez said. “We’re incredibly grateful for a community that stands behind its students.”
In November, Gus Franklin Jr. Elementary School was one of two San Bernardino County schools to receive California Blue Ribbon School recognition, the Daily Press reported. Gus Franklin Jr. Elementary is located in Victorville, and is associated with the Adelanto Elementary School District.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
