Acushnet Second-Grade Teachers Win ACC Grant to Fund New Bedford Whaling Museum Field Trip

ACUSHNET — Superintendent Dr. Paula Bailey is excited to announce that a $1,000 Acushnet Cultural Council (ACC) grant will help to fund a second-grade field trip to the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

“Community-minded organizations like the Acushnet Cultural Council are key to helping us stretch our budgets and provide so much more for our students,” said Superintendent Dr. Bailey. “If not for generous donations like this, some school experiences would not be possible. Thanks to the Acushnet Cultural Council, an entire grade of Acushnet students will attain lifelong memories from a day spent learning about a fascinating chapter of local history.”

The ACC provides funding for Acushnet’s youth, seniors and community to enjoy the arts.

While applying for the grant, Acushnet educators linked their request for funds with establishing a consistent model of instruction across classrooms and grade levels that engages students in higher-order thinking and empowers students to be life-long learners. They also assured the ACC that the trip would help the schools prioritize community partnerships that support the aligned goals of academic excellence and social emotional learning.

Grade 2 teacher Olivia Corey applied for the grant.

“This field trip will help to broaden our students’ knowledge of the wider world,” Corey wrote to the ACC. “They will have the opportunity to make real world connections to concepts they are learning about in class. Building their background knowledge as well as their scientific understanding will help them grow into well rounded and knowledgeable individuals.”

The Whaling Museum trip also aligns with the second graders’ Community Social Studies unit.

“While the main focus of the field trip will be the scientific understanding of whales, students will also learn how whales and the whaling industry have local ties,” Corey wrote. “This will give them a greater understanding of their community and help them to see where some of the local customs and culture originated.”

This program was funded by a grant from the Acushnet Cultural Council (ACC), a local agency that is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

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