As you know, I took on a project to fund a trip for the sixth grade class of Juniata Park Academy of Philadelphia so that they can visit the Philadelphia Mint and Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia to learn more about their money and how it plays into their everyday lives. I received a note from the DonorsChoose.org, the non-profit site the helped raise the funds, that Ms. Janas, the teacher at Juniata Park Academy, posted a note about the trip. She wrote:
We just completed our trip to the Federal Reserve and U.S. Mint on Friday. Even in the chilling temperatures, the enthusiasm was in full swing. One of the highlights of the trip was seeing all the money in both places we visited. Between coins and currency, the students were overwhelmed with how the coins originated, their artists and all the interactive activities that helped them understand how our money is made and all the safety measures that are taken to secure it. They could not believe that under the Federal Reserve Building were two vaults which each are the size of a football field.
They gave us samples of shredded currency at the Federal Reserve and we saw coins being processed in the U.S. Mint. Going through security screening was quite interesting because most of the students didn’t realize that any metal sets off the alarm and many alarms went off. It helped them understand how security works with government locations.
We will be going over our scavenger hunt that we completed at the Federal Reserve and additional information I received about the mint. Also this week one of our donors will be visiting our classroom to give us more hands on knowledge of coins. This was a great trip and we appreciate all of our donors giving us the opportunity to take this trip this year.
With gratitude,
Mrs. Janas
I am so excited for these kids and glad they got the opportunity to go to both places.
As promised, I will be visiting Juniata Park Academy. Aside from bringing pieces of my collection for them to see, I am also bringing gifts. After all, it is the holiday season! Since I will not be coming home right away, my cousin and I will be at the football game at Lincoln Financial Field (Go Big Blue!), I will report on my visit over the weekend.
UPDATE: Pictures were added to the original note at DonorsChoose.org. Go there to see them!