National Park Trust Announces 2021 Kids to Parks Day School Grants Program Recipients
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 16, 2021
NATIONAL PARK TRUST ANNOUNCES GRANTEES OF KIDS TO PARKS DAY SCHOOL GRANTS PROGRAM
56 Grants Awarded to 2,211 Students Across the United States
Washington, D.C. (March 16, 2021) – The National Park Trust is pleased to announce the grantees of this year’s Kids to Park Day School Grants Program, which annually awards grants to under-served schools to help students discover and explore parks, public lands, and waters. This year because of the impact of COVID-19, the grants program was amended to fund virtual park experiences and hands-on activities.
26 Title I schools were selected as grantees, impacting more than 2,200 students in grades pre-K through 12, and representing 14 states and Washington, D.C. Support for this program is provided by the Wyss Foundation with matched resources provided by the National Park Centennial Challenge Fund. Grants up to $500 were awarded to 56 classrooms.
The contest is a part of the 11th Kids to Parks Day on May 15th, a nationwide day of outdoor play celebrated every third Saturday in May at public lands and waters across the United States. Entries submitted by students and teachers addressed the three pillars of the Park Trust’s youth programs focusing on how they would: 1) use parks as experiential classrooms, 2) embrace health and wellness through outdoor recreation, and 3) engage in stewardship through projects and educational campaigns.
“Despite the safety restrictions due to the pandemic, it’s been inspirational to see how teachers and their students got creative to celebrate the 11th Kids to Parks Day. We hope that this experience will encourage them to continue to explore their local public lands and waters with their families. During this historically challenging time in our country, the importance and appreciation of our parks and the outdoors has never been greater.”
Grace Lee, National Park Trust Executive Director
2021 Grantees
- Alsup Elementary – Commerce City, CO
- ASCEND School – Oakland, CA
- Brightwood Education Campus – Washington, DC
- Bryan Station Middle – Lexington, KY
- Crow Agency Public School – Crow Agency, MT
- Dana Elementary School – Hendersonville, NC
- Del Rey Elementary – King City, CA
- Dinsmore Elementary – Jacksonville, FL
- Dottke PBL High School – Milwaukee, WI
- Emma G. Whiteknact Elementary School – East Providence, RI
- Franklin Simpson Middle School – Franklin, KY
- Gonzales Middle School – Gonzales, LA
- Irving Elementary School – West Allis, WI
- Jardine STEM Academy – Wichita, KS
- Lester Arnold High School – Commerce City, CO
- Lewis Elementary USD 502 – Lewis, KS
- Mid Peninsula School – Rock, MI
- Parkdale High School – Riverdale, MD
- Payne Elementary School – Washington, DC
- Rose Hill Elementary – Commerce City, CO
- Sabin Schellenberg – Portland, OR
- STEM Launch K-8 – Thornton, CO
- Sunnyside Elementary – Dodge City, KS
- Tubman Elementary – Washington, DC
- Wellsville Middle School YMCA Afterschool Program – Wellsville, NY
- West Babylon Senior High School – West Babylon, NY
ABOUT NATIONAL PARK TRUST
National Park Trust is a non-profit dedicated to the protection of our national parks. The Park Trust preserves parks today and creates park stewards for tomorrow by acquiring the missing pieces of our national parks and building a pipeline of future caretakers of our public lands and waters by getting kids to parks. The Park Trust has completed 73 land projects in 31 states, one U.S. Territory, and Washington, D.C., benefitting 48 national park sites. Our national Buddy Bison Programs and Kids to Parks Day support 300 Title I schools annually in under-served communities. Visit parktrust.org to learn more.
Media Contact: Ivan Levin at 540.818.5818 or ivan@parktrust.org.
