Building Environmental Stewardship through Field Trips

Posted May 31, 2022

In Environmental Science Grant Program, Excursion Grant Program, grantmaking, philanthropy, PVF News, teacher grants

The Excursion Grant Program, funded by The Geballe Family, is one of our most popular teacher grant programs that we offer. Created to bring joy and new experiences to children who lack the opportunities, these grants provide up to $1,000 for teachers to take their students on any kind of field trip. For many teachers, these grants allow them to teach beyond the restrictions of the classroom and incorporate important hands-on learning. For many students, these field trips mark the first time they are visiting a particular place, such as the beach, a museum, or San Francisco.

Tracy Dordell, a teacher at New Highland Academy in Oakland, recently utilized an excursion grant to take 30 4th grade students on a field trip to Muir Beach where they participated in the Kids for the Bay Program and learned about environmental stewardship.

“I am writing this letter to express my sincere gratitude for the excursion grant that my class received. The grant of $1,000 made it possible for my students to attend this field trip. It covered the majority of the bus transportation to Muir Beach. If we did not receive this grant, we would not have been able to go.

This field trip was an invaluable learning opportunity for 27 students and 6 chaperones. They were able to experience the California Coastline and interact with organisms in their habitats. We were able to complete the field study component of our KIDS FOR THE BAY curriculum with our instructor.

I have been a teacher for OUSD for 26 years. I am a huge advocate of field trips for our students. My school does not have funding for field trips. We rely solely on grants and other funding sources to provide these opportunities for our children. These experiences build on a knowledge base that should be cultivated through hands on learning, observation, social interaction, sensory stimulation, and environmental stewardship.

It was a memorable day that we will never forget. I am so appreciative that my students were able to have this experience.”