The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is thrilled to announce free field trips for Park County students during the 2014 – 2015 school year. Very generous private donors—the Stephen M. Seay Foundation and two anonymous donors—have made it possible for the Center’s Interpretive Education Department to invite Park County, Wyoming, students and teachers to take advantage of our school programming and resources at no cost to them.
Why Are Free Field Trips for Park County Students Important?
We have endeavored for the last several years to secure funding that will help our community’s schools. The Center wants to be a resource for all students in Cody, Powell, and Meeteetse. We want to make it as easy as possible for teachers to sign up for a field trip, so they can build upon the classroom experiences they are providing at school. Teachers and students have a lot of demands placed on them every day, and we hope that our offerings will continue to meet their needs.
Many of the schools in Park County, Wyoming are considered Title 1 schools. Title 1 schools have at least 40 percent of students enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program. We do not want these students struggling to pay for a field trip to the Center, and we do not want teachers paying for these students out of their own pockets. Instead, we want teachers and students to embrace our offerings and celebrate their Western heritage.
What Programs Are Part of the Free Field Trips for Park County Students?
The Center’s school services program offers a variety of field trips and resources that are now free to all K – 12 classes in Park County. Below are a few examples. Click on each offering to learn more.
- Guided Tours with Educators/Docents
- Self-Guided Field Trips
- Museum Adventures
- Borrow a Backpack
- Outreach Trunks
- Virtual Field Trips
- Online Interactive Games
- Online Teacher and Student Resources
The Center does ask that teachers continue to register online or contact Megan Smith, School Services Coordinator, at 307-578-4028 or [email protected]. Please note that the Raptor Experience still has programming fees.
Why Schedule a Free Field Trip for Park County Students?
School programming at the Center is a vital part of educating the youth of our town, county, state, country, and even the world about the West. More importantly, we want our community’s youth to immerse themselves into the world of their West. Students can transport themselves back in time—imagining life as a mountain man in the Rocky Mountains, as a performer in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, as a homesteader claiming land in northern Wyoming, and even as Thomas Moran painting the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Students can embrace the culture and history of Plains Indians, and learn the ecology and geology of not just Yellowstone, but of the Big Horn Basin they call home.
Teachers can engage in these hands-on participatory experiences with their students, confident that our programming meets the standards and benchmarks they are addressing in their classrooms.
We encourage Park County teachers to register for a free field trip today!!
Opportunities for Schools Outside of Park County
Visit our School Programs page on our website to learn more about opportunities for students outside Park County. Travel and lodging assistance is also available through our MILES program for schools that cannot travel to and from Cody in one day.
Visit the Center of the West with your students. We will make the West alive and relevant to each and every class!
