News
Fairfield Museum receives two grants supporting educational programming & delivery
By Fairfield Museum and History Center
Jul 22, 2008 - 2:34:43 AM

The Summer Colonial Unit Writing Group (left to right): David Foster and Barbara Mockalis of Stratfield School, Susan Knox of Roger Sherman School, Dennis Pryor of Holland Hill School, Kathleen Gallucci of Dwight School, Elaine Casale of Jennings School, Kristin Robinson, Library Media Specialist at Dwight School, Christine Jewell, Director of Education at the Fairfield Museum, and George Petrakopoulos, Fairfield University Graduate Intern.

Fairfield Museum and History Center is the recent recipient of two valuable grants from the Connecticut Humanities Council (CHC) that will support the promotion, coordination and development of the museum’s educational initiatives.

The Heritage Advancement Program is a multi-year grant that provided funds for the Fairfield Historical Society to support a staff position, the Program and Volunteer Coordinator. Demand for educational programs has increased and the coordinator provides important administrative support as a liaison with teachers, providing programs that link to classroom learning, as well as scout leaders. Resources provided through this grant has allowed the organization to expand an inquiry-based tour of the Ogden House that now serves every 3rd grade student in Westport, as well as providing staff for a program that uses the organization’s collections to show 1st grade students how to become a historian. This grant’s important continued support provides Fairfield Museum with resources needed for the development and delivery of high-quality educational programs, and for the management of its volunteer team; two key components to the organization’s long-term growth and success.

Fairfield Museum and History Center also received another CHC grant, “Fairfield History in the Curriculum,” that provided valuable funding to integrate the museum’s resources with multidisciplinary activities that support the 4th grade social studies curriculum. The museum’s Director of Education, Christine Jewell, is working with a dedicated group of 4th grade teachers over the summer to develop a teacher guide and student workbook that highlights Fairfield’s rich colonial history. The interactive activities and lesson plans will utilize primary sources from the museum’s collection, such as primary accounts of the burning of Fairfield in 1779, as well as integrating math and language arts skills. The project is a partnership with the Fairfield Public Schools, with Gary Rosato, curriculum supervisor, serving as an advisor. An intern from Fairfield University’s Graduate School of Education is also assisting with the project. The unit will be a pilot for the 2008 – 2009 school year, with the goal of every 4th grade student learning about Fairfield’s unique place in history.

Fairfield Museum and History Center would like to formally thank the Connecticut Humanities Council for the funds received from these two important grant initiatives. This support will build on the museum’s continued success as it evolves and expands to meet the educational needs of the community and region that it serves.

To that end, the museum’s education department will be unveiling a new brochure in the fall. Intended for educators, the brochure will describe a wide range of educational program offerings with accompanying online teacher resources.

The mission of the Connecticut Humanities Council is to provide opportunities for all the people of Connecticut to rediscover the joy of lifelong learning, to see themselves in the full context of their history and heritage, and to explore the infinite varieties of human thought and experience contained in our literature and expressed in our arts that give shape and direction to our lives. To learn more about the CHC, please visit their website www.ctculture.org.

To learn more about the Fairfield Museum and History Center, located at 370 Beach Road in Fairfield, please visit www.fairfieldhs.org.

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