Grantsville Elementary School teacher Patsy Walker was awarded an $800 Target Field Trip Grant, designed to help bring learning to life for students. Mrs. Walker, a fourth-grade teacher, was selected from more than 25,000 applicants from across the country.

Mrs. Walker plans to use the grant to take 200 students to the This is the Place Heritage Park on May 29.

With the nation’s schools facing increasing budget shortages each year, field trips are often one of the first elements eliminated from the curriculum. The Target Field Trip Grants Program, which launched in September 2006, distributed 5,000 grants totaling $4 million in funds this year to education professionals to help fill this gap, so that teachers may continue using the valuable experiential learning gained from field trips to enhance students’ classroom studies.

Criteria for the selection of grant recipients included: the description of the field trip and its objectives, the benefits to students, the tie-in to the school curriculum, the number of students who would be impacted and the proposed use of funds. Funds may be used to cover cost of transportation, entry fees, supplies and equipment, and resource materials. Winning field trips must take place during the 2009 calendar school year.

Applications for the 2009/2010 Target Field Trip Grants Program will be available online at Target.com beginning in September 2009. Starting mid-March, teachers can visit the site to find a complete list of winners, field trip ideas, and free downloadable field trip resources.