From Space Chats to National Champions: ORCA's Stellar 2024-2025 Year in Review
While most Oregon Charter Academy (ORCA) students are spending their summer days relaxing, we're beginning to prepare for the upcoming academic year. Part of that process involves reflecting on everything our community accomplished during the 2024-2025 school year. From conversations with orbiting astronauts to fencing championships to a National Educator of the Year award, last school year was packed with several standout moments.
Recognition in the Community
Every year, members of the Mid-Valley community vote for their favorite local businesses and organizations. In 2024, we were proud to have won Best Charter School in the Best of the Mid-Valley awards for the fourth consecutive year. ORCA was also awarded Best Overall Leadership, Best Place to Work, and Best Employer. This community recognition speaks volumes about the impact ORCA students, families, and staff are making across Oregon.
New Programs for Students
One exciting new way ORCA students positively impacted our broader community was through the Youth Research & Advocacy Club (YRAC). Founded last year by student Grace Choi, YRAC focuses on promoting youth involvement in advocacy through established relationships with organizations working in healthcare, STEM, and climate change. Club activities will emphasize the importance of intentional and informative representation, providing students with the opportunity to engage with partner organizations while developing effective leadership and research skills.
Out of This World Events
Sometimes ORCA’s community extends into the stars. Last March, members of our NASA Club had the unique opportunity to chat with astronaut (and Silverton native) Don Pettit as he orbited Earth on the International Space Station. Students spoke with Pettit about topics such as life in microgravity and the future of Earth-orbiting space stations. This event was an incredible moment for our NASA club to connect with real-world STEM applications and foster an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math.
ORCA Students Excelling
Our school is only as good as our students, which is to say it’s pretty fantastic! Here’s a sampling of some of the incredible things ORCA kids accomplished during the 2024-2025 school year.
In March, Senna Alnasser and Dulce Wiles were named finalists at the 2025 Poetry Out Loud state contest in Salem.
In June, three ORCA students traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to compete in the HOSA Future Health Professionals International Leadership Conference. These students earned their place at the state conference by besting 880 students from across the state at the Oregon HOSA State Leadership Conference. Grace Choi earned three podium finishes, including first place in Medical Reading and second place in both World Health and Disparities and Human Growth and Development. Gracey Pennington proved her skills with a first-place win in Dental Science, while Brooklynn Anderson secured third place in Medical Assisting.
Steliana Strugar made waves both regionally and nationally in fencing. Last year, she brought home the gold medal at the USA Fencing National Championships in Ohio, earning the title of Division II National Champion.
In December, Brady Jacobs became one of 17 finalists for the National Young Composers Competition. Taking inspiration from famous composers like Chopin and Mozart, Jacobs wrote his melody on the piano and used notation software to complete the rest of the piece.
Accolades for ORCA Staff Members
Of course, none of these accomplishments would be possible without our dedicated staff members who make ORCA such an amazing place to work and learn. Last year, Dr. Cynthia Lofts demonstrated why ORCA educators are among the best in the nation by being named eDynamic's 2024-2025 Knowledge Matters National Educator of the Year, the second consecutive year a teacher from ORCA has received this prestigious recognition.
Join Us for a Virtual Information Session
The 2024-2025 school year was certainly one to remember. There's no doubt that the upcoming year will bring its own set of incredible accomplishments by students and staff.
If you'd like to learn more about ORCA's curriculum or our approach to virtual learning, join one of our upcoming virtual information sessions. You'll have the opportunity to connect with ORCA staff and preview our learning platform. We hope to see you there!