GLOUCESTER — Every fourth grader in Gloucester County Public Schools will soon visit Colonial Williamsburg for a free educational study trip, made possible through a partnership between the Abingdon Ruritan Club, the Gloucester250 Committee and the Gloucester Museum Foundation.
According to the county, the hands-on experience will bring history to life for students while supporting classroom learning. Funding was provided by the Abingdon Ruritan Club, the Gloucester250 Committee, and the Gloucester Museum Foundation. The five study trips, one for each Gloucester County Elementary School, will launch on Oct. 16 and conclude on Oct. 30.
“Our staff and students are excited to visit Colonial Williamsburg for a day filled with fun and adventure, watching their history lessons from the classroom come to life,” said Debra Falkenberg, Gloucester’s Community Engagement Supervisor. “We are so grateful to have such supportive community partnerships with the Abingdon Ruritan Club, Gloucester250 Committee, and the Gloucester Museum Foundation who are providing this opportunity for our youth.”
The county’s Community Engagement coordinators are handling logistics for the project — ranging from scheduling visits to managing volunteer background checks for chaperones — ensuring the trips run as seamlessly as possible.
Additional in-kind support will be provided by the Gloucester Museum of History. Museum staff will conduct pre-field trip lessons with the fourth graders to help prepare them for the visit. The museum’s director, specialist, interns, and Gloucester’s tourism and marketing supervisor will then serve as guides to ensure that the students experience all that Colonial Williamsburg has to offer.
“I am proud that the Abingdon Ruritan Club generously volunteered to help our hometown museum support this study trip,” said Robert Kelly, Director of the Gloucester Museum of History. “We are honored to share Colonial Williamsburg with the next generation, and I am especially pleased that the trip will be free for our students, teachers and chaperones.”
During the study trips, the county said it will be made sure that all students are given ample time to visit key sites, including the Capitol, Governor’s Palace, and numerous trade shops, while also meeting figures such as George and Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, General Lafayette and James Lafayette. The guides will accompany the students for the entire trip, including on the bus ride, to provide pre- and post-trip engagement.
“The Abingdon Ruritan Club is ‘dedicated to improving our communities and building a better America through Fellowship, Goodwill, and Community Service,’” said Carl Roy, chair of the Abingdon Ruritan Club Community Engagement Committee. “We can think of no better way to serve our community than by ensuring our young people have an opportunity to understand and appreciate the sacrifices our forefathers made to provide us with the freedoms we have been blessed to receive. We are proud to partner with the Gloucester250 Committee and the Gloucester Museum Foundation to sponsor these important study trips. We recognize Gloucester Museum Director Robert Kelly and his team for their dedication in making these trips possible.”