Two freshmen in the SNU Honors Program secured a grant that enables a spring educational field trip for students at Council Grove Elementary School funded by Target Foundation. Geoff Miller and Greg Sattler of the SNU Honors Program wrote the $700 grant for 91 Council Grove kindergarteners to go on a train ride on the Amtrak rails to the train stop in Purcell and then ride a bus to the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History in Norman, OK. The Council Grove students will then spend the rest of the day learning about the history and culture of Oklahoma and its residents.
“The kindergarteners are greatly anticipating our upcoming train ride field trip. Since the majority of our students come from low socioeconomic homes, this grant is providing them with an opportunity that they otherwise wouldn’t get. At the same time, the parents who attend as chaperones are also getting to participate in this new experience. We are very appreciative of Target and the SNU Honors Students for receiving this grant on our behalf.”
– Beth Vannoy, Mary Chapman, Jeanne Jones, Jana Pennock, Teachers at Council Grove Elementary School
The grant was written as an assignment for the SNU Honors Academic Writing class. It has been the tradition of the Honors Academic Writing to assign students the project of writing and submitting a grant on behalf of Council Grove Elementary School. SNU honors students have had multiple successes including new books for the library, benches for the bus stops and even a reading garden.
Council Grove Elementary School is a Title I school meaning that the majority of the students come from families with difficult financial situations. In 2013, 24% of the students lived at or below the poverty line. By writing the grant, Geoff and Greg gave the Council Grove students a rare chance to visit a museum as well as ride a train.
[author image=”http://echo.snu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Byron.jpg” ]Byron Crouch, Staff Contributor
Byron is a computer science major. He likes puzzles, reading and writing fiction. His favorite movie is Princess Bride or Tron. [/author]