Onalaska High School students advocate for funding at state Capitol

The Onalaska High School Youth Engaged in Sustainable Systems (YESS) program joined the Pacific Education Institute at the state Capitol on March 5 to advocate for funding for the 2027-2029 fiscal year, a news release from YESS stated.

The YESS program is a summer career and technical education program that focuses on natural resources, specifically aquaculture and fisheries for Onalaska students this summer.

The program provides 270 instructional hours for the students, 1.5 lab science credits and a $1,800 stipend.

Each day during the summer, the students embark on a field trip to a different location to meet with industry professionals to learn about aquaculture and fisheries, according to the release.

YESS partners include organizations such as the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife, the state Department of Natural Resources and the Chehalis and Colville Tribes.

During their time at the Capitol, students met with 20th Legislative District state Reps. Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis, and Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, as well as state Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia.

The students filled out notes to submit to representatives in order to speak with them. They also observed the Senate voting on House bills, the release stated.