december 2025 update
The perfect present for comedy fans -- and student champions!
Discount available for OSD staff!
As you may have already heard, we are excited that comedian Gabriel Rutledge will be performing a show this spring to benefit the Olympia Education Foundation and all of work to cultivate student potential.
Rutledge will take the stage at the historic Capitol Theater in downtown Olympia on Saturday, April 18. Doors open at 6 p.m.; the show will begin at 7 p.m.
A past winner of both the Seattle International Comedy Competition and The Laughing Skull Comedy Festival in Atlanta, Rutledge has made numerous television appearances, including Comedy Central's Live at Gotham, Nickelodeon's Nickmom Night Out, Laughs on FOX, and Inside Joke streaming on Amazon Prime Video. His Dry Bar Comedy special "A Third of the Room," as well as his YouTube special "Nectarine," have garnered millions of views online.
He is also the author of the book "Happiness Isn't Funny: True Stories of a Road Comic."
Additionally, Rutledge and his family have roots in Olympia and the Olympia School District.
Tickets are on sale now -- and Olympia School District employees and Olympia Film Society members are eligible for a discount!
A limited number of VIP tickets, which include a meet and greet with Rutledge before the show as well as a drink ticket, are also available.
Pinball wizards
Inspired by a donation of electro-magnetic pinball machines, Olympia High School CTE teacher Andrew Woodbridge applied for a grant from the Foundation last year to purchase materials and parts so his students could restore them. Students were able to design and build rolling bases for the machines last year; this year the goal is to make them functional. Once restored, they will be available for students and the community to use.
Projects funded at all Olympia schools through Foundation grants for 25-26 school year
Thanks to donor and sponsor support, the Olympia Education Foundation was able to provide nearly $110,000 in grants for a variety of projects and programs in every one of Olympia's public schools for the 25-26 school year.
Grants are funding everything from bullying prevention curriculum to art opportunities, books for multilingual readers, field trips, P.E. equipment, musical instruments, a districtwide mental health awareness campaign -- and so much more.
The Foundation has exhausted all funding for grants for the school year.
The application for grants for the 26-27 school year will be available in late April 2026.
A list of projects funded during the 24-25 school year can be found at the bottom of this page.
sponsor spotlight
We are grateful for Ember Goods and their support of our Rise & Shine for Students! event the past few years. If you're in downtown Olympia this weekend, be sure to stop in for an amazing cup of coffee. You'll also find a wide selection of lovely gifts for those on your holiday shopping list.