Past projects 3
A Zoo-tiful Day
Funded Aug 12, 2019It's hard to put into words how grateful I am for your donation to my project. I am committed to providing students with a relevant and hands on curriculum that develops lifelong skills, and it is inspiring to see so many others that share my vision for education. The Philadelphia Zoo field trip is not only a learning experience, but also an experience that creates life long memories for my students. Past students who come back to visit me have told me that this trip is one of their most memorable experiences in elementary school. I cannot thank you enough for all of your generous donations to make this trip a reality.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kresge
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 9 other donors.A ZOOper Dooper Experience
Funded Dec 3, 2018Words cannot begin to thank you enough for your generous support in making our fourth grade field trip to the Philadelphia Zoo a reality. Our school, F.A. March Elementary School, is nestled in a small section of Easton, known as College Hill. Even though our school is very small, consisting of approximately 335 students, we are a culturally diverse school. A majority of our students come from low socio-economic backgrounds, and we have quite a number of students who are homeless. Our school qualifies for a free breakfast and free lunch program due to the large number of socio-economic disadvantaged students.
Because our school is considered to be a 100% Title 1 school, we qualify for free admission tickets to the Philadelphia Zoo, which is wonderful! The only obstacle we face each year is funding the buses that will transport us there. Philadelphia is about an hour and half drive from our school, so traveling on school buses is not ideal because we need to have easy access to a bathroom in the event the need arises.
From the moment my students learned that this trip would be a reality, they could not wait for the date of the trip to arrive. The days leading up to our trip were all they could talk about! A huge component of our science curriculum focuses on the world of living things and how they adapt to their surroundings. This field trip provided my students to apply what they have learned in their science curriculum through an interactive experience.
I wish you could have seen the look on their faces when they saw the motor coaches from J&J Transportation that would transport us to the zoo. The majority of our students have never had the opportunity to ride on a motor coach. They couldn't believe that their bus would not only have a bathroom, but TVs as well. As they boarded the buses, I overheard the following comments:
• "There's a DVD player on the bus? And a bathroom? This is the best trip ever!"
• "I've never been on a bus like this before."
• "I can't believe that we get to ride on these cool buses!"
When we arrived at the Philadelphia Zoo, their excitement continued. For most of our students, this was their first time visiting a zoo, and will probably be their only opportunity. The excitement in their voices and their priceless facial expressions as they came face to face with the different animals was indescribable. They really enjoyed the Primate House, especially the mother and baby gorilla that were so close to us, that if it wasn't for the glass that separated us, we could have reached out and touched them. Another favorite was the big cats that were out and visible. They were especially excited when they saw two lionesses walking above them on the catwalk.
Our students definitely had a fun filled educational day, and a field trip they will never forget. I cannot thank you enough.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kresge
This classroom project was brought to life by Staples and 12 other donors.A ZOO-Pendous Trip
Funded Aug 9, 2017Words cannot thank you enough for making our class field trip to the Philadelphia Zoo possible by funding our transportation cost. A huge component of our science curriculum focuses on the world of living things and how they adapt to their surroundings. This field trip provided my students to apply what they have learned in their science curriculum through an interactive experience.
Our school, F.A. March Elementary School, is nestled in a small section of Easton, known as College Hill. Even though our school is very small, consisting of approximately 376 students, we are a culturally diverse school. Last school year, March Elementary School qualified for a free breakfast and free lunch program due to the large number of socio-economic disadvantaged students. More than 52% of our student body comes from low-income families. For most of our students, this field trip gave them perhaps the only opportunity to visit a zoo of this caliber.
The moment my students walked outside our school and saw the motor coaches from J&J Transportation that would transport us to the zoo, their facial expressions said it all. As they boarded the buses, I overheard the following comments:
• "I can't believe we get to ride on these cool buses!"
• "There's a DVD player on the bus? And a bathroom? This is the best trip ever!"
• "Mrs. Kresge, why can't we take these buses to school instead of our school buses?"
• "I've never been on a bus like this before."
When we arrived at the Philadelphia Zoo, their amazement and awe continued. For most of our students, this was their first time visiting a zoo. The excitement in their voices and their priceless facial expressions as they came face to face with the different animals was indescribable. Even though the weather did not fully cooperate while we were there, the animals definitely did. All of the animals were visible and active, especially the big cats. The tiger was actually pacing up and down on the opposite side of the glass enclosure. One of my students said that if the glass wasn't there, they could actually reach out and touch it! Another favorite was the primate house. There were two baby gorillas that the students could not stop watching. The other primates were also very comical to watch as we observed them climbing, jumping, and swinging on objects inside their habitats. Our students definitely had a fun filled educational day, and a field trip they will never forget. I cannot thank you enough.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kresge
This classroom project was brought to life by Tom's of Maine and 8 other donors.