SAMi was started in the Fall of 2009, when they opened their doors to the first
freshman class (of 2013). The school expanded by adding one grade per year and as of 2012 offered all four high school grades (
freshman,
sophomore,
junior and
senior) in its program. In 2012-2013 the school began accepting Grade 8 students for the graduating class of 2017. Since its inception the school has been seeking to expand the effective area of the campus into the park and use buildings and structures in the park as classrooms. In 2009-2010 the school was granted access to the parks
greenhouses for a plant biology class, which continued until the demolishing of the greenhouses in 2016. In the 2010–2011 school year regular access was granted to the
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, the Pagoda and the historical Lodge. It also holds its Outdoor Education class in the areas around the
Fort Nisqually Living History Museum. SAMi was restricted from using the pagoda after an arsonist set it on fire on April 15, 2011. The building sustained significant damage and the arsonist is now in custody. The restored and renovated pagoda is still used by SAMi for classes. In the February 2013 bond election, voters approved funding for a new permanent facility for the school adjacent to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Construction was expected to be completed by 2015, but the building was not opened until October 2017. This new building, the Environmental Learning Center (ELC), is designed to function as an extra 8 classrooms and a learning space for preschoolers. During the summer, the Point Defiance Zoo will use it as an outreach space. The primary school buildings now consist of portables at the old Camp 6, the Environmental Learning Center (ELC), Pagoda, and
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium classrooms. The whole of
Point Defiance Park is considered the schools campus, according to the school's staff. However, student roaming (usually only allowed during the student's lunch break) is prohibited south of Pearl Street area. This is loosely enforced. { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "marker-color": "#00a000", "marker-size": "medium", "name": "Portables/ Camp 6", "popupContent": "Camp 6" }, "geometry": { "type": "Point", "coordinates": [ -122.52782464027403, 47.303228781725835 ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "marker-color": "#ff9300", "marker-size": "medium", "marker-symbol": "", "name": "Environmental Learning Center", "popupContent": "ELC" }, "geometry": { "type": "Point", "coordinates": [ -122.52179503440857, 47.305993368874894 ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "marker-color": "#ff1200", "marker-size": "medium", "name": "Pagoda", "popupContent": "Pagoda" }, "geometry": { "type": "Point", "coordinates": [ -122.51718431711195, 47.30584604912781 ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "marker-color": "#0432ff", "marker-size": "medium", "marker-symbol": "", "name": "Zoo Education Center", "popupContent": "Zoo classrooms" }, "geometry": { "type": "Point", "coordinates": [ -122.52161264419557, 47.30549866390114 ] } } ] } == Mission and goals ==