Keystone Science School has always facilitated environmental and outdoor education field trips. With all of our programs we strive to not be program providers but program partners. We work tirelessly to make sure that our programs serve as an extension of the classroom curriculum. This is why we have always enjoyed working with Tollgate Elementary in Aurora, Colorado. Teachers at Tollgate are never afraid to think outside the box within the development of their programs. Being a partner is not just limited to curriculum development but also logistics and fundraising. Over the years we have had a strong relationship with Tollgate and we’re excited to welcome the 3rd grade class in March of 2017.
3rd Grade Teacher Rob Cooper is one of those teachers who takes everything to the next level. Not only did he apply and receive a scholarship directly from the Keystone Science School’s scholarship program but he also set up his own GoFundMe webpage in order to fund the remaining amounts of his program. Please consider supporting Rob’s 3rd grade class and help get the students from Tollgate Elementary to our field-based science program. I’m sure it will be a memorable experience for his entire class.
Below is an excerpt from Rob’s letter of support provided to KSS in his scholarship application. In this letter, you can see that this experience is not just a simple field trip but has the power to be a life-changing experience.
This Spring, Tollgate’s third grade students will be engaging in a three-month long learning expedition to explore our urban watershed and nearby creek’s quality and come up with a plan to take action in our community to improve the quality of Tollgate Creek. Our creek is part of a larger watershed, one that begins in the mountains and ends in the Gulf of Mexico. By engaging in the learning at the source of our watershed, students will gain the knowledge to understand water on a global scale. We will take this content back to the classroom and our nearby creek, making connections between the world around us and our community.
Beyond the academic experience of a trip to Keystone Science School, Tollgate students are deserving of this experience for a variety of other reasons. With a focus on character, Tollgate students develop into lifelong learners through our character habits: perseverance, respect, responsibility, inquiry and craftsmanship. These habits are reinforced throughout each and every day at school, and applying these habits into an overnight trip into the mountains would further reinforce these habits and apply real application.
Furthermore, Tollgate students come from diverse backgrounds and will greatly benefit from such an experience. We have new immigrants from Mexico, Syrian refugees, students in transitional housing, a 68% free and reduced lunch eligible population, and others with daily challenges that deserve to have this experience that so many of us have had.
We appreciate your consideration of Tollgate Elementary School of Expeditionary Learning’s ability to receive a scholarship.
Kind regards,
Rob Cooper
Third Grade Teacher
Tollgate Elementary School of Expeditionary Learning
