GLOUCESTER COUNTY — Abingdon Elementary School’s fourth grade will soon head to Colonial Williamsburg, thanks to a grant from the American Battlefield Trust’s History Field Trip Grant Program, the county announced.
Grants are awarded based on a competitive national application process, demonstrating Abingdon’s commitment to excellence in the classroom, the county said.
“Students are brimming with excitement for the trip,” said Lauren Ginder, Abingdon’s Community Engagement Coordinator. “We are incredibly fortunate to have the support of the American Battlefield Trust and the Gloucester Museum of History. We are very thankful that our students will have the opportunity to experience ‘history coming to life’ with a full day of hands-on learning and first-person interpretation at Colonial Williamsburg.”
Gloucester County said staff members will conduct pre-field trip lessons with the fourth graders to help prepare them for the visit. The county’s Historic Resources Supervisor, Museum Specialist, and the county’s Tourism & Marketing Supervisor will serve as field trip guides.
“I am proud that our hometown museum can support this field trip, and we are honored to share Colonial Williamsburg with the next generation,” said Robert Kelly, Gloucester’s Historic Resources Supervisor.
Every year, the American Battlefield Trust receives applications from classrooms across the country to participate in the History Field Trip Grant Program, which offers funding and assistance to K-12 teachers planning field trips to Civil War, War of 1812, or Revolutionary War battlefields and related historic sites. During the 2022-23 school year, more than 10,000 students from 33 states took part, according to the county.
“These kids get a chance to go to where history was made, where our country was created and defined,” said Trust President David Duncan. “Battlefields are outdoor classrooms that will teach future Americans about our democratic republic.”
The American Battlefield Trust is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educating the public about what happened there and why it matters today. The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has protected more than 60,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War. Learn more at battlefields.org.
