FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 22, 2023
Adopt A Class encourages innovation in students at Cincinnati Museum Center
Partnership with museum and Crayons to Computers provides field trips for fifth graders
CINCINNATI - Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) has partnered with Adopt A Class and Crayons to Computers to provide field trip opportunities for aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs. The opportunities for fifth grade students provide a first-hand look at the world of innovation.
Adopt A Class uses group mentoring in college and career readiness to connect business and civic groups with students in underserved communities. Their partnership with CMC and Crayons to Computers extends the opportunity to fifth grade students through field trips to the museum. During the field trips, fifth grade students from 36 participating schools explore CMC’s Made in Cincinnati exhibit to discover the history of innovation through stories and artifacts from local companies, business leaders and inventors.
“Cincinnati Museum Center has been phenomenal to work with and we are grateful for this partnership, as well as the partnership with Crayons to Computers,” said Sonya Fultz, CEO of Adopt A Class. “The students that have experienced this opportunity so far have been enthralled with the Made in Cincinnati exhibit and very engaged with the classroom experience.”
After visiting the Made in Cincinnati exhibit, students explore their own creativity in CMC’s nearby History in the Making Classroom. Through programming partnership with Crayons to Computers and the guidance of Adopt A Class staff, students receive an Innovation Station kit with a variety of objects and are tasked with inventing a tool or object of their own. Students have tapped into their inner-innovator to create objects ranging from rockets and launchers to shoe protectors and interactive shopping bags.
“Adopt A Class has been a wonderful partner in inspiring the next generation of innovators and leaders in our region,” said Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “Through our partnership with Adopt A Class and the support of Crayons to Computers, students have an opportunity to visit our exhibits, be inspired and literally make history.”
Field trips to CMC were made possible by generous donations. For those interested in supporting Adopt A Class students visiting Cincinnati Museum Center, please contact the Philanthropy Department at (513) 287-7036 or donate@cincymuseum.org.
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About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized, award-winning institution housed in a National Historic Landmark. CMC is a vital community resource that sparks curiosity, inspiration, epiphany and dialogue. CMC was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2012, one of a select few museums in the nation to receive both honors. Organizations within CMC include the Cincinnati History Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science, Children’s Museum, Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater, Cincinnati History Library and Archives and the Geier Collections and Research Center. Housed in historic Union Terminal – a National Historic Landmark restored in 2018 and recognized as the nation’s 45th most important building by the American Institute of Architects – CMC welcomes more than 1.8 million visits annually, making it one of the most visited museums in the country. For more information, visit www.cincymuseum.org.
About Adopt A Class
Founded in 2003, Adopt A Class (AAC) is a non-profit organization with a vision of a Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky where all students have access to caring adults who expose them to a breadth of life and career experiences so they can unleash their full potential. Currently, more than 240 business and community groups mentor over 7,000 students in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. For more information, visit accmentors.org.
About Crayons to Computers
Founded in 1997, Crayons to Computers works to level the playing field in Cincinnati classrooms by providing every student with the supplies and tools they need to succeed. Since its establishment, the organization has distributed more than $170 million worth of school supplies that have been donated or purchased at reduced or wholesale prices from its partner companies. The organization is a member of the Kids In Need Foundation's National Network of Resource Centers, which is dedicated to ensuring that every child is prepared to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies to students in need.