School Outreach
![A NC Zoo educator shows a turtle to an elementary school classroom.](https://files.nc.gov/dncr/styles/_inline_extra_large_/public/images/2024-01/ED-Z2U-BoxTurtle.jpeg?VersionId=iwLyi5.KhSRLj42ykJ8.Y9Wkm3fcQT9h&itok=etnA2Ds-)
Several N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources' locations have opportunities available to bring their programs to your school. Discover the current offerings below.
In-person School Visits
This public science project offers 8th grade science teachers and students across North Carolina the opportunity to make their own microfossil discoveries. Thanks to Bank of America, the Dueling Dinosaurs Worldwide Education Sponsor, eligible classrooms can directly contribute to the science of paleontology. Cretaceous Creatures participants will sort through 67 million-year-old sediment from the Hell Creek Formation in Montana where the Dueling Dinosaurs were found. Along the way, they will discover and identify microfossils of ancient animals that lived alongside some of the world’s most iconic dinosaurs.
On top of their virtual and onsite programming, Jennette's Pier has several different classroom programs they can bring to schools to meet different educational standards.
Aquarium educators come to you with live animals, games and hands-on learning to deliver engaging programs designed to thrill all ages and customized to fit the needs of your students.
The Aquarium’s traveling Outreach programs bring fun, hands-on, educational activities to your classroom. Costumes, props, and live animals make these programs entertaining, enriching, and exciting for all grades!
Aquarium outreach programs offer numerous topics for all ages and groups of varying sizes. Each program is guaranteed to provide interactive opportunities to learn about the many animals and plants that inhabit the wetter spaces of our state.
The Museum comes to you with interactive programs featuring specimens, activities, and live animals that connect participants with the natural world. Programs are flexible and can be taught adapted for all ages and abilities.
Ensembles in the Schools
Through the Ensembles in the Schools program, the North Carolina Symphony creates intimate learning experiences for students with a wind quintet and a string quartet.
The ensembles, comprised of North Carolina Symphony musicians, give an interactive performance that reinforces the fundamentals of music and demonstrates the teamwork involved in music making. The NCS education staff and musicians work collaboratively with classroom teachers to create a program that is entertaining and supports North Carolina curriculum guidelines.
Music Clinics
North Carolina Symphony musicians are available to visit public/charter middle and high schools across the state. To request a NCS musician visit your school and lead a sectional/workshop/clinic, please complete the form below. Requests will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Generous support has been provided by the Marilyn Ehrenshaft and John Williamson Young Musician Master Class Endowed Fund of the North Carolina Symphony.
Meet the Instruments
Through our Meet the Instruments! series, sponsored by MetLife Foundation and Puffin Foundation West, Ltd., students will get to know the many instruments that make up a symphony orchestra—as well as the North Carolina Symphony musicians who play them!
Contact
For more information about any of these programs, please contact the Education department at education@ncsymphony.org.
Zoo to You EDventure programs can be adapted for either a classroom or school assembly style program. The wide variety of available topics are designed to stimulate curiosity about animals and their habitats and encourage respect for the natural world.
Roanoke Island Festival Park's outreach program allows students a chance to learn about the first English settlement in their own classroom. Costumed historic interpreters can help bring your history lessons to life with demonstrations and interactive activities to give students a hands-on experience they will never forget!