Everett police save grade school's camping trip from cancellation
The Brief
Olivia Park Elementary's fifth-grade camping trip at Camp Killoqua was saved by the Everett Police Department, which provided male chaperons to meet the required student-to-adult ratio.
Officer Wade Wyrick and other Everett officers volunteered their time, allowing students to experience outdoor education and see law enforcement in a positive light.
The camp offers unique experiences for students from a high-crime neighborhood, emphasizing community involvement and support from local police.
STANWOOD, Wash. - Olivia Park Elementary School was on the brink of canceling its fifth-grade camping trip. That is until the Everett Police Department stepped up just in time to save it.
"That's what we do — Everett Police. If we have to step up, we do it for the community and especially for the kids. I think every kid deserves to go to camp," said Wade Wyrick, an officer with Everett Police Department.
The south Everett students are staying overnight at Camp Killoqua, located in Stanwood, as part of the school's three-day outdoor education program. The opportunity is funded through a state grant.
What they're saying
"The food is really good. Overall, I'm just glad to be here with my friends. I'm glad that most of them got to come," said Cecilia, a student attending the camp.
"It is the talk of fifth grade from the time they get to school until now," said school counselor Stacy Goody. "It's an experience I wish every single kid in the entire world could get."
The backstory
The school almost did not get the experience.
Goody said 2024 was their first time attending camp, and they did not have enough male chaperons to meet the required student-to-adult ratio.
"Male chaperons have been very challenging. So, last year we were very close, up until the day before we left, very close to not being able to come," said Goody.
In a panic, the school reached out to Everett PD, and police chief John DeRousse answered their call for chaperon help. However, for the 2025 trip, the school ran into the same problem. On the brink of canceling once again, this time four male Everett officers stepped in, including Wyrick.
The officer even brought his own Killoqua stories.
"All the kids deserve a chance to go to Camp Killoqua. I think it was a blast. I have great memories from it. And once I heard that they were going to have to cancel it, I thought, well, if I can help prevent that, then let's do it," said Wyrick.
"I think it was really nice of them, even with their own time and all that, to come over here and help us so that we would get to have this experience as fifth graders," said Cecilia.
It's a breath of fresh air for Cecilia and her classmates, much different from the halls of their school in a neighborhood that's high in crime.
"Camp provides them with a lot of unique experiences that a lot of these kids have never had and are kind of hard to get normally," said Tristan Pearson, lead outdoor education instructor at Camp Killoqua.
It's not just the outdoor experience the officers are helping the kids have by being their chaperon, it's also a chance for young people to see another side of their local law enforcement.
"I think it's really important that the kids see us in a different light. I'm not wearing my uniform, I'm not wearing a badge. I'm just a guy," said Wyrick. "The fact that we stepped up and did something off duty shows that we want to be part of our community, not only behind the badge, but within the community to help out too."
"Went above and beyond to make sure that he had guys who could be here for us," said Goody. "Very, very thankful for Everett PD because we would not be here without them. We would have had to cancel."
The Source
Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Franque Thompson.
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