This spring the Searcher made a special delivery to the whale lagoons: supplies for the local schools, donated by Baja School Friends (BSF).

The goal of the BSF organization is to provide supplies, equipment and support to the schools of Laguna
village in Baja California’s San Ignacio Lagoon, Mexico. BSF is comprised of more than 80 members from all over the country. Through their generosity the program has been successful at providing school children with items from the basics like pencils, pens, chalk, paper and glue to microscopes and other lab equipment, and even jump ropes, bats, balls and more
playground equipment.

It all started in 2001, when long-time whale watchers Claudette and Dick White traveled to San Ignacio Lagoon in search of gray whales. The Whites met the children of the village and fell in love with them. A trip to the

Back at home, the Whites began
collecting school supplies and play
ground equipment to send to the
village. However, the remote setting does not lend itself to easy delivery. Organizations like Baja Expeditions, Inc., and the Searcher help by delivering the supplies to the village.

The White’s project grew to become Baja School Friends. The school and the kids have grown as well. Some of the students who were in elementary school when supplies were first sent are now enrolled in universities. One is studying ecotourism, which will ultimately benefit the village and
others like it. In 2001, the schools went only to the sixth grade; further education required them to move to another town. Today, through the efforts of BSF and others, the school goes through the ninth grade.