What was your favorite field trip in middle school? I hope my 6th grade students will be able to reflect back years from now and say it was their trip to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where they not only got to do a scavenger hunt around campus, but view their first planetarium show at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. I hope they will also say this field trip made college more tangible to them, engaged them deeply in science and opened their eyes to the world beyond their backyard.
On May 23rd, we will have the opportunity to take 80 of our 6th grade students on this trip, thanks to the Boddie Scholarship. Our tickets and a portion of our buses have been graciously provided, but we will need to arrange for our own food. UNC has a great reduced lunch program that will cost $6.50 per child for a full meal. Though this seems like a meager amount to many, 80% of my students are on free or reduced lunch. Asking parents to pay this fee in addition to providing breakfast money would be a huge burden and could deter many children from being able to attend this phenomenal field trip. Additionally, our teachers are seeking to raise the final funds for our bus transportation, which will be $769.60. In an effort to allow every child this opportunity, I am setting out to raise $1,341.60 by May 15, 2012 . When we achieve our goal, we will have provided 80 students and eight chaperons a free lunch and transportation to UNC!
To help us have a successful field trip, I am asking that you visit our page on FundRazr and consider sponsoring a child’s lunch by donation $6.50 to our fundraiser. If you are able to donate, thank you in advance for your continued support! Any extra funds we receive beyond $1,341.60 will go into our First Books account to purchase books for the Bertie Middle School library.
To help you understand where our goal number came from, please review the following:
-Bertie County buses cost $1.91/mile
-The distance from Bertie Middle School to UNC-Chapel Hill is 280miles round trip
-One bus round trip will cost $534.80.
-We will need 2 buses to accommodate 80 students, which brings our bus total to $1,069.60
-The Boddie scholarship has provided us a $300 stipend leaving us with $769.60 to fundraise for buses.
-The bus fund of $769.60 + Lunches of $572.00 = 1,341.60.