May 20 2025
Behavioral Education at ESD 113 has a new look. Expedition Behavioral Education, comprising Olympic Academy, Summit Academy, and Pathfinder Services, has arrived with new colors, logos, and a renewed focus on providing exactly what families and districts need.
The familiar mountain theme is still there but has been refreshed with a bolder color scheme and streamlined design.
“Expedition is a way for us to reorganize and rebrand the way ESD 113 is doing behavioral services,” Program Director Joshua Maerzke says. “It brings several of our services and programs together under one name but allows each program to operate independently and tailor its offerings to the specific needs of the students and clients they serve.”
Maerzke says that one of the biggest challenges they faced this past year was the perception from families and districts that Olympic Academy as a whole was tailored to only students with emotional and behavioral disorders.
Because of their ties to Olympic Academy, districts often believed that Base Camp and MASH services were a precursor to separate day school placement, when that wasn’t their goal.
Meanwhile, some parents were unaware that Summit was a separate program focusing on students with more impactful autism and communication-related developmental delays.
As Expedition, Maerzke and the ESD hope to eliminate the confusion. “The programs are still going to operate largely the way they always have,” says Maerzke. “The difference is more perception and communication. The biggest thing is each program is standing on its own.”
Collaboration has been a focal point in launching Expedition, with clear goals for each client.
“We talked to about 13 different districts about what they were looking for in behavioral services,” says Maerzke. “We talked to the Cabinet, Comms team, HR, Business Office, and we found all these different areas where this reorganization could help us address some of the communication challenges that have been happening with behavior services.”
Pathfinder Services, which encompasses many of the services that Base Camp and MASH previously handled, has already shifted to focusing more on services that districts have shown interest in, such as in-district consultation, coaching, and broader professional development. Staff are hopeful this change will make them more of a partner in the process instead of a solution at the end.
At its core, Expedition is about making things simpler for families, districts, and students. By giving each program space to define itself and strengthening support for schools and students, Expedition is setting a new course for behavioral education services in our region.
Terrence M. Hill 