MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 651-7358, mcardoza@gadoe.org
Dorie Turner Nolt, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 656-5594, dnolt@gadoe.org
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PARTNERS WITH ZOO ATLANTA ON FREE FIELD TRIPS FOR STUDENTS
Deadline to apply for earmarked funds is March 15
Feb. 26, 2013 – In an effort to further its mission to make its educational resources available to a broader number of Georgia students, Zoo Atlanta has partnered with the Georgia Department of Education on an initiative to extend field trip opportunities to schools in select communities.
Now through March 15, 2013, schools designated by the Georgia Department of Education as Priority, Alert or Focus facilities are invited to apply for free self-guided field trips through the Zoo’s Sponsored Admissions Program.
Zoo Atlanta annually allocates a portion of its education funding toward the Sponsored Admissions Program, which has enabled hundreds of Georgia students to benefit from supplementing their science, biology and ecology studies with field trips to the Zoo. Through March 15, funds will be specifically earmarked for Priority, Alert or Focus schools; as of March 16, this opportunity will be made available to Title 1 Schools.
“We are excited that students across the state will have access to Zoo Atlanta and its excellent educational programming,” said State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge. “Getting children interested in science has never been more important for our state, and this program is a great way to make science come to life for our students.”
Sponsored self-guided field trips include free admission for students named in the reservation and free admission for one teacher or adult chaperone per 10 students. Schools are responsible for transportation costs, lunch and any extra in-park activities.
“We’re pleased and proud to partner with the Georgia Department of Education on an opportunity that so clearly supports our mission to make the Zoo a resource available to all of our state’s schoolchildren,” said Raymond B. King, President and CEO of Zoo Atlanta. “Few opportunities support science and biology curricula in greater living color than coming to the Zoo and learning about wildlife firsthand, and we never like to see a lack of resources keep schools from introducing the Zoo to their students.”
Click here to learn more or apply for the Sponsored Admissions Program at Zoo Atlanta. Interested schools must apply for consideration; submission of applications does not guarantee acceptance into the program.
