Jump-Start for Bronx Schools

Julie Larsen Maher ©WCS

Field trips to the Bronx Zoo and conservation science lessons in the classroom will be part of the curriculum for more Bronx students beginning in the fall, thanks to an environmental education grant from JPMorgan Chase & Co. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) received a $50,000 grant from Chase to provide underserved public schools in the Bronx with science classes focusing on conservation.

“Environmental education is a right for all,” said Sara Hobel, vice president of Education at WCS. “All students need to be prepared to effect change and become environmental leaders. We thank Chase for making this possible for schools in the community that would not otherwise be able to afford it for their students.”

The grants will help underwrite Science Jump-Start Program sessions, taught by WCS’s highly trained professional educators, as well as undergraduate and graduate level fellows. Each class will include a structured learning experience at the Bronx Zoo and a guided tour of an exhibit, which will reinforce the concepts and vocabulary the students are exposed to in the classroom.

Because one of the largest hindrances to field trips for under-funded schools is the cost of bus transportation, this grant will include buses to and from the Zoo, as well as admission.

“Chase is committed to investing in best-in-class non-profit organizations that are embedded in the community and offer programs that address critical issues in the Bronx,” said Gayle Jennings-O’Byrne, Chase community relations officer for Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. “We are proud to continue our long partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Bronx Zoo, which are world-renowned for their educational programming.”

The WCS Education Division has earned 20 prestigious awards from organizations such as the National Science Board, National Science Teachers Association, and the U.S. Department of Education.

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