Canal Classrooms
The C&O Canal National Historical Park’s Canal Classrooms program, offered since 2013 and supported by the C&O Canal Trust, currently provides experiential learning opportunities to K-12 students at three locations: Great Falls, Williamsport, and Cumberland. This is accomplished via STEAM-based curricula (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) taught by the Canal Classrooms Corps (CCC), cadre of retired teachers, local educators, professionals, and volunteers. To date, over 70,000 students have participated in Canal Classrooms, including many who attend Title 1 schools.
The Canal Classrooms curriculum includes topics such as Weathering & Erosion, Dendrology, Transportation History, Immigrant History, Environmental Education, and Plant Identification. With support from the Trust and local school districts, the park is working to expand Canal Classroom programming into Washington, D.C. Two locations have been identified as pilot areas for DC-based programming – Fletchers Cove and Georgetown. A collaborative strategic plan for creating a sustainable education program at multiple locations in D.C. over a three-year period is in place. Funding is necessary for the successful expansion of the program to urban school students, and long-term support following the initial development stage will ensure D.C. school students can visit the C&O Canal for years to come.
In addition to providing support for in-park learning through Canal Classrooms, the Trust also funds interpretive supplies and resources through the Canal Explorer Backpack program. These resources are designed for educators to integrate into their teaching, focusing on lessons related to the C&O Canal. Each backpack includes ready-made activities and curriculum that can be put to use in the classroom, schoolyard, or in the park, and will reach as many as 15,000 children annually. Over 100 backpacks have been distributed to date to public elementary schools in Allegany, Washington, and Montgomery Counties.
Funding for Canal Classrooms also helps to support the needs of the dedicated Canal Classrooms Corps (CCC) teachers. Grants and donations made to the Trust for Canal Classrooms directly support program expenses, such as transportation, teacher training workshops, curriculum development, and teacher stipends.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of our supporters who make this important program possible,
and we look forward to continuing to expand Canal Classrooms.
As requests for field trips continue to increase, the support of the Trust and the Canal Classrooms Corps remains critical to expanding the program. Your support of Canal Classrooms will enable the park to provide critical education programs to more school children each year. Below is a breakdown of donation opportunities.
Daily stipends for Canal Classrooms Teachers - $75 per teacher
Retired educators with years of teaching experience make up the Canal Classrooms Corps. There are currently over 40 teachers, teaching thousands of students each year at Great Falls and in Williamsport and Cumberland. They are trained to teach side by side with a C&O Canal Ranger with each one teaching from one to three classes each day (from 30 to 120 students). To help them defray travel and other costs, the park provides each teacher an additional stipend of $75 a day.
Transportation Scholarships – $250
The cost of transporting students to the park is the greatest impediment for schools wishing to participate in Canal Classrooms. The average cost of a bus for 50 students is $250 with some schools having to find as much as $1,000 to transport all students in one grade to the park. In 2013, the park created a Transportation Scholarship Program. With the support of its nonprofit partners, the park is able to match any contribution made to the Transportation Scholarship Program, dollar for dollar, doubling the impact of each donation.
This year, the Trust provided nearly $10,000 to assist with busing expenses. We would not be able to provide this funding without the generous support of the Thai McGreivy, M.D. Memorial Fund, Mary K. Bowman Fund for Historical and Fine Arts, Charles H. Miller Charitable Foundation, and individual donors.
Curriculum Development – $500 to $2,500
The Canal Classrooms curriculum is developed in collaboration with local school boards to be integrated with school lesson plans and to align with national and state standards. To date, the Park has curriculum programs in Allegany, Washington, and Montgomery Counties and is working to continue curriculum development in and Frederick County and in Washington D.C.
Teacher Training Workshops - $2,500 for 20 teachers
It costs about $125 to provide training for each classroom teacher in new education programs and supporting resources available to students. In addition, teachers are paid a stipend and are guaranteed bus funding through the Transportation Scholarship Program to enable them to bring their students to the park.
Teacher-Ranger-Teacher (TRT) Program – $3,500
TRT presents a unique professional development opportunity for teachers to learn about National Park Service (NPS) resources and how to incorporate them into classroom curricula. This hallmark NPS program recruits educators from K-12 schools to spend their summers in national parks, developing and presenting educational materials and programs. Following the summer, teachers return to their classrooms where they share their knowledge and experiences with students, fostering support and interest in the local community.
Questions?
Please contact our development team at [email protected].
Photos by Trust Staff and National Park Service. Video by Trust Staff.