Tryon Palace is pleased to announce it has awarded 16 North Carolina Title I schools with field trip scholarships through the Palace Scholars Program. Made possible by the Tryon Palace Foundation, Palace Scholars was able to award scholarships that total $17,665 for the 2019/2020 school year, which will allow 1,775 students from across the state to visit the site of North Carolina’s first state capitol.
“We are so proud of this first round of awards for the Palace Scholars program,” said Bill McCrea, Executive Director, Tryon Palace. “It is very rewarding knowing we are able to play a role in helping ease the burden of field trip costs for the well-deserving students of North Carolina’s public schools. They are our future, and we need to connect them with their past.”
Schools awarded include: Bangert Elementary School of New Bern, Clover Garden Charter School of Burlington, Contentnea-Savannah K-8 School of Kinston, E.B. Aycock Middle School of Greenville, E.B. Frink Middle School of LaGrange, G.W. Bullock Elementary School of Rocky Mount, Global Academy Scholars of Durham, Hawk Eye Elementary School of Red Springs, Pink Hill Elementary School of Pink Hill, Richlands Elementary School of Richlands, Shallotte Middle School of Shallotte, Sunset Avenue School of Clinton, Triton High School of Erwin, Wallace Elementary School of Wallace, and a school from each Pamlico and Bertie counties.
“As a volunteer in the North Carolina History Center, I have seen firsthand the impact a field trip to Tryon Palace can make on a student and on a classroom,” said Jeannie Tyson, President, Tryon Palace Foundation. “To read about history is one thing. To experience it is mind opening.”
Palace Scholars is an educational program linking students and educators from Title I schools with fully- or partially-funded field trip opportunities to Tryon Palace. The program hopes to connect present and future North Carolinians with their state history in an engaging and informative format. Tryon Palace and the Tryon Palace Foundation recognize that a field trip to the site may be impossible for students in underserved schools, and that 81% of North Carolina’s public schools are Title I. The Tryon Palace Foundation raised funds through individual donations from supporters.
“I am overwhelmed by the generosity of our dedicated supporters, who came out in droves to support this program,” Tyson said. “Their contributions to this campaign have an immediate effect on the lives of 1,775 of North Carolina’s children. There is no greater reward than that.”
Palace Scholars intends to hold two rounds of applications and awards in the 2019/2020 school year, to allow more schools to apply for scholarships for Spring 2020 and Fall 2020. The next application period will be August 15 – September 30. Educators interested in learning more about this program are encouraged to visit TryonPalace.org/palacescholars.
If you are interested in sponsoring the Palace Scholars program, please contact the Tryon Palace Foundation at 800-767-1560.
Upcoming Events at Tryon Palace
Behind the Scenes: Gardens Tour – April 30
First Friday: Civil War Medicine – May 3
Behind the Scenes: Conservation Lab Tour – May 7
Garden Lecture Series: Best British Gardens: Ideas from Across the Pond – May 11
Submitted by: Regina A. Ochoa, Director of Public Affairs, Tryon Palace