James Madison's Montpelier We the People Spring 2013 | Page 19

We The People

Richmond Elementary students

experience
american history

19

first-hand

Students from Mary Mumford Elementary
School in the Richmond Public School
District mix learning and fun during their
visit to Montpelier.

Offering robust educational programs for primary and secondary students is one way that
The Montpelier Foundation achieves its mission.
School field trips are a core component of fulfilling this objective, yet for many schools, having
students spend a day immersed in the lives of
the Madisons and learning about the Constitution
is financially out of reach.
This spring, 209 students from elementary
schools in the Richmond Public School District
enjoyed just such a day, including guided tours
both inside the mansion and on an ecological
exploration through the Big Woods of the James
Madison National Landmark Forest.
The tours were made possible by a grant from
The Memorial Foundation for Children, generously covering charter buses, drivers and fuel,
as well as associated staffing and administrative
costs. The Richmond “I Have a Dream” Foundation provided key support, coordinating with
teachers and administrators to fit the trips within
the academic calendar.
As we have witnessed in the past, and were
reminded of this year, the return on this philanthropic investment is priceless.