February 2026 Update
Help a student get hooked on books!
Support a lifelong love of reading!
In partnership with Browsers Bookshop, we are excited to sponsor the 2026 Battle of the Books, ensuring that every school in the district can participate in this fun competition that encourages students to enjoy reading, and to broaden their reading interests and increase their reading comprehension.
Battle of the Books -- or "BOB" for short -- is a weeks-long opportunity for students to team up, read a curated list of books, and then compete to answer detailed questions about them in a gameshow-style format. Students can check out BOB books from their school library.
To learn more about BOB, including the titles selected for this year's competition, visit this page.
Tickets selling fast! Don't miss your chance to LOL!
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.
Save the Date: Golf
This year's scramble set for Sept. 19!
Love to golf? Mark your calendar for Saturday, Sept. 19, and join us at Capitol City Golf Club for a day of fun in support of the Principal's Emergency Fund -- and all of our work to cultivate student potential. This is a date change from the previous two years when the tournament was held in July.
Another new component this year: Firecreek Ale House is organizing the tournament for us. And all proceeds will still go directly to us! We are beyond grateful for their support.
Team registration and sponsorships will still go through the Foundation. We'll be sharing those details on our website soon. Stay tuned!
Community spotlight
This year's Newbery Medal winner Renee Watson visited Thurston County as the 2026 Olympia Reads!! guest author. This included an event open to the entire community at the downtown Olympia Timberland Regional Library (pictured), as well as two opportunities at Capital High School for Olympia School District students to hear her read selections from her books and answer their questions. We love supporting this event, which started in 2024, and aims to excite readers of all ages and connect them with published authors and illustrators. Watson won the 2026 Newbery Medal for the most distinguished children's book for "All the Blues in the Sky."