We're going to Skamania Lodge in Spring of 2020!
We're excited to announce that the 2020 WSCSS Spring Conference will be held at Skamania Resort in the Columbia Gorge. If you didn’t join us for our sold out Skamania conference in 2018, please consider registering early. There are many factors that make Skamania a great location to attend our Spring Conference:
Travel Concerns
Traveling over the pass on Sunday afternoon is an annual worry for attendees. Eastern WA teachers also consider Chelan to be “over a pass," depressing Eastern WA attendance. A location that Western WA AND Eastern WA teachers can access without crossing a pass is paramount. Skamania is comparable in travel time from Seattle, but since it's on the Columbia, there is no snowy pass to worry about!
Nearby Attractions for Spouses, Kids, and Saturday Afternoon
Skamania has many local museums, wine tours, and state parks nearby. The Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, Bonneville Dam, Lewis and Clark State Park, The Dalles, Multnomah Falls, the Mt. Hood Railroad and more are all close by to Skamania Lodge, and also provides opportunities for you to teach a session at the conference using these local resources!
Keeping the Conference Affordable
Costs at Campbell's have risen over 25% in the last few years, causing us to lose money on this conference the last two years. If we raised prices to cover their rising costs, it would make Chelan something that only teachers at the top of the pay scale could afford to attend, and continuing to lose money on the conference is unsustainable. The overall cost of the conference (travel, hotel, and registration costs) at Skamania is only slightly more expensive than the Chelan conference, while the quality of our conference, hotel, and travel is greatly improved.
Reaching Out to New Regions of Washington
We recently conducted a 500+ member survey this past spring. WSCSS members reported interest in a new/rotating location for the spring conference. We also have many WSCSS members in SW Washington who do not have a conference near them. Skamania makes the WSCSS much more accessible for Southern WA teacher, and Oregon teachers.