SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Six South Kitsap School District educators and counselors are off to a boot camp of sorts after traveling to San Diego to participate in a Marine Corps workshop.

The workshop seeks to provide teachers with firsthand knowledge about what the Marine Corps can offer to high school graduates.

It will include activities such as weapons training, combat fitness testing, a bayonet assault course training and live fire demonstrations.

Following a reception for the educators on Monday, Kristina Stone – an English teacher at South Kitsap High School – said so far she was impressed.

“I come from a family that doesn’t have a military background at all, so it’s all very new to me. [I’m] definitely looking forward to going out and shooting some guns. I think that will be a good time,” Stone said.

Jillian Price, also an English teacher at South Kitsap High School, said she was a little nervous about the combat fitness test but noted that so far the workshop has seemed very well organized.

“It’s impressive. There’s a lot going on; there’s a lot of educators here from all different places,” Price said.

Tami Lester-Dame, 11th grade dean for South Kitsap High School, said she was looking forward to learning what she can offer her students in the days to come.

“It’s exciting,” Lester-Dame said. “I think I’m just looking for opportunities for kids, to get kids connected earlier for this type of opportunity.”

—Nick Twietmeyer is a reporter with the North Kitsap Herald. Nick can be reached at ntwietmeyer@soundpublishing.com