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Media contacts: Kim Schuette: 614.297.2314 or kschuette@ohiohistory.org
For Immediate Release
U.S. Bank funds satellite classroom experience for fourth graders
(FREMONT) - U.S. Bank made Ohio history come to life for Sandusky City School students. The bank funded the pilot program of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center's Curriculum Connections, enabling all fourth grade Sandusky City School students to visit the Center March 24 and 25.
Many schools, including those in Sandusky, have cut back or eliminated visits to museums and historic sites due to lack of funding and concerns about whether such visits meet curriculum needs. Curriculum Connections addresses both concerns.
Hayes Presidential Center staff developed a pair of classroom resources tailored to Ohio curriculum standards. The DVD presentations are for use prior to and after a visit the Center. Information in the presentations does not duplicate information students receive during a visit. The concept of Curriculum Connections is to make the Hayes Presidential Center a "satellite classroom."
Teachers can incorporate the DVDs into lesson plans to demonstrate to children that history is all around them. The first DVD provides an overview of Ohio history, from how an Indian trail running through the state aided in settlement, to battles fought on Ohio soil that helped our nation become independent. The second DVD directs the children to free resources they can use to learn more about Ohio and its people.
U.S. Bank's generosity enhanced this history-in-my-backyard approach. After studying the first DVD in the classroom, Sandusky City Schools' students toured the Hayes Home and Hayes Museum. They had the opportunity to relate lessons presented in the classroom to objects they were able to see and touch.
Sandusky City Schools Director of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Sally Roth stated, "This experience could not have been afforded otherwise. Our students need to experience this connection."
In filling out a post-visit survey, one teacher wrote "Great Ohio history! [Curriculum Connections] relates to standards – provides primary and secondary resources."
U.S. Bank representatives, school officials and Center staff spent many hours developing Curriculum Connections. The DVDs are available to all schools that schedule "satellite classroom" visits to the Center.
Hayes Presidential Center Development Director Kathy Boukissen is aggressively seeking donations to assist with transportation and admission fees for school systems that do not have adequate funding for a visit. For more information about Curriculum Connections or to donate to the program contact Kathy at 419-332-2081, ext. 26 or email her at kboukissen@rbhayes.org.
The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center is located at the corner of Hayes and Buckland avenues, Fremont, Ohio. The facility is affiliated with the Ohio Historical Society. Check the Hayes Presidential Center website www.rbhayes.org for a complete list of year-round special events.
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