Fourth Graders Prepare for Road Trip of a Lifetime

Captained by their brave and tireless teacher Ms. Trisha Ballance, the students are preparing for “a road trip of a lifetime traveling the state of North Carolina from the sea to the mountains.” The class plans to travel for 5 days by bus from Ocracoke to Cherokee, NC and back with many interesting, educational stops along the way. This ambitious trip will be taking place April 1st – 5th with strong school, parent, and community support. The students will be doing much more than sightseeing.

Ms. Ballance says, “this field trip is a multidisciplinary educational opportunity that will enhance learning for a lifetime. The trip will emphasize significant places that highlight commemorative landscapes and people of our state’s history and culture.  The students will complete a multidisciplinary unit across all curriculum areas to enhance the rigorous standards addressed for the grade level”.

Ms. Ballance has the itinerary firmly mapped out. The 4th graders “will have their first stop in Chapel Hill to visit the Morehead Planetarium and the nation’s first public university at UNC-Chapel Hill.  Wilson Library, found on campus, will introduce students to the NC Collection of artifacts and publications by North Carolinians.  The following day, the bus will be heading west towards the NC Mountains stopping in Cherokee to discuss this unique cultural Native American group.  The students will then travel to Asheville to see the beautiful city that thrived in the early 20th century and they'll visit the Biltmore House, the largest private mansion in America.  The following day will be spent on the road heading to Asheboro, NC to the NC Zoological Park.  This park is the 3rd largest natural habitat zoo in the United States and students will focus on the animal adaptations unique to each habitat.  The final day will be spent in Raleigh at the NC Natural Science and History Museums with a tentative visit to the Capital Building.

The students have contributed to making this trip happen every step of the way. They participated in the field trip proposal presented to the school board. They prepared computer presentations with Mr. Robertson in their computer class highlighting the “ABC’s of North Carolina” focusing on important places and people of the state.  The Hyde County school board approved the field trip on December 3, 2013.

The educational impact of this trip is not limited to history and science. The 4th grade class has also planned and participated in all of the monthly fundraising efforts that have taken place so far.These students and their teacher are motivated and energetic; they are willing to work for this trip. They have done successful bake sales, Krispy Kreme doughnut sales, and candle sales to raise money for it. They even had an authentic Turkey leg food booth at the Pirate Jamboree this fall. Another upcoming fundraiser will be a Mexican food sale with dates and times to be announced. They are still raising money to cover the costs of this extensive trip. If anyone would like to support this rare and exciting opportunity for our 4th graders please feel free to contact Ms. Trisha Ballance at tcaviness@hyde.k12.nc.us

Ms. Ballance says, “I want my students to travel this state with a viewpoint deeper than the typical tourist ‘postcard view’. Our home on Ocracoke Island is a place that is visited by a million people each year.  The students here have seen the world come to them, now these 10 year-olds deserve to travel west to experience what it means to be a true North Carolinian.”

Come to Ocracoke School on February 4th for a hot dog lunch sale starting at 11:10am. Help the 4th graders take their trip!