Berryville, VA, September 7, 2021 – Last school year, the COVID pandemic made the world rethink “how to do business.” Because of that, the CCEF formed a partnership with the Shenandoah Discovery Museum to offer virtual field trips to all of our elementary aged students in Clarke County.
During the 2020-2021 school year, the partnership with the Discovery Museum entailed:
- 2 interactive virtual field trips via Google Meet for every PK-5th classroom (30 minutes with a live museum educator plus a PDF of follow-up activities)
- Provided access to 2 pre-recorded video programs for every K-5 student, including a 30 minute video plus activities to be done at home or in the classroom
Last year’s contract was for $15,000 worth of programming, which at market value, delivered $23,000+ in programs to the Clarke County Schools. Topics included Animal Adaption/Zoomania (zoo design); Geography, Space, Fairy Tale Engineering, and Pollinators. Videos included experts in the field, as well as more than a week’s worth of take away activities for teachers and families.
At the conclusion of the program, teachers provided an incredible amount of positive feedback and requests for the programming to continue. Due to the partnership’s overwhelming success, the CCEF has voted to continue and expand this partnership with the Discovery Museum. Next year, our funding will provide:
- 1 virtual “live” interactive outreach program for every grade level PK-5 at the two elementary schools
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1 in-person field trip program for every grade level PK-5 at the two elementary schools
- 1 video program and accompanying PDF of activities for school or home for every grade level PK-5 at the two elementary schools.
- 1 STEAM Night to take place at each elementary school
- 1 Family Night to be scheduled on a Thursday at the museum.
- 1 professional development workshop for preschool and elementary teachers on STEM/STEAM, Art, and Drama Responses with Multicultural Picture Books.
We are proud of this partnership and looking forward to the impact it will make in our schools.
The Clarke County Education Foundation, established in 1991, is an independent public charity dedicated to promoting, expanding, and augmenting the educational opportunities for students and staff in the Clarke County Public Schools, by generating private support and involvement to enhance these publicly-maintained services. The CCEF has provided more than $2.8 million in student scholarships, teacher grants, system demonstration grants, and donor-defined projects through a combination of fund-raising and endowment income since its inception. For more information visit www.ccefinc.org
