Published in the July 5, 2013 issue of the Bainbridge Island Review.

For Washington migrant students, trees are not so much ecosystems as they are what gives their parents work in the apple orchards and cherry farms of Eastern Washington.

That is until they came to IslandWood last week for the “Voices from the Field” program.

“Even the ferry ride is exciting for them, because they’ve never been on the ferry before, or even seen the Puget Sound,” said Samantha Ruiz, the migration graduation specialist for the Wahluke School District in Mattawa.

The week-long program brought in 70 middle school students who come from migrant households almost all from the eastern side of the state.

Students coming from migrant family households have one or two parents who work in the agricultural industry. Also, it is not uncommon for them to pick up mid-school year as the family makes moves between districts for seasonal work.

“That’s really hard when you have an interrupted school year like that,” Ruiz said. “When you’re trying to transfer credits back and forth between schools, a lot of things can get messed up.

“These kids can fall between the cracks because, between larger schools or small schools, they sometimes go unnoticed.”

Victoria Diaz, an eighth-grader from Mattawa, lives with her parents and relatives. She says it’s hard because she doesn’t get to see her 19-year-old brother who, about four months ago, left for Wenatchee to drive a forklift at an apple packaging plant.

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