Nurturing Knowledge
Campus Visits Provide Young Students a
Glimpse of Educational Possibilities
By Charles Bentley

 

Young faces gaze forward, all intent on catching sight of what awaits. An elementary school class has come to Cal Poly Pomona on a field trip, allowing the students a chance to explore, observe and, hopefully, enjoy the learning experience. On this morning, the lesson isn't being taught in the confines of a classroom, but rather in the midst of a wheat pasture.

"As part of the experience, we go out to a 10-acre wheat field and show the children all the food products we eat every day made from this grain. They love watching the wind move through the field, the birds and insects they find, and seeing the tiny sprouted seeds that will grow into full, lush plants," says Peggy Sears Perry, director of AGRIscapes, the university's center to promote agricultural and environmental literacy. "Where else in this area could kids have this experience?"

Almost every weekday of the year, children of all ages visit the Cal Poly Pomona campus. The surroundings vary depending on the outing. At BioTrek, an educational enterprise created by the College of Science, visitors can walk through a simulated rainforest housed within a greenhouse or an aquatics lab filled with habitat samples from around the world. The W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center offers arena shows featuring the abilities and history of the Arabian horse.

In addition, numerous camps, seminars and workshops are held throughout the university, utilizing classroom and laboratory space while touching on a vast array of subjects.

The common denominator in all of this is Cal Poly Pomona. In an effort to serve as a better resource to K-12 education, the university encourages programs and projects that offer new ways to interest and inspire students. At the same time, the hope is to open young visitors' minds to new ideas and possibilities. It's not just about learning today; it's about planting the idea that college is a viable option for all.

"We want young people to visit this campus and look forward to the day they can come here to learn. It's up to us to encourage them to believe all this is here for them," says President Bob Suzuki. "I'm always excited to see a group of elementary school students on campus because they are Cal Poly Pomona's next generation."

Such outreach efforts fit well into the university's learn-by-doing philosophy, providing college students a receptive audience while allowing the visiting youngsters to interact with positive role models.

"Our own students serve as teaching guides on the field trips," adds Perry. "They just love the chance to teach young children about the topics they, themselves, are studying in college."

Visiting students and teachers alike appreciate the opportunity to help stimulate the learning process with a change from the day-to-day routine.

“"Just coming on campus is great because it gets the students to ask questions. Some have never been on a college campus and they can have an experience they'll remember," says Cathy Okita, a teacher at Ranch Hills Elementary School in Pomona who brought her second grade class to AGRIscapes. "The program was terrific because it held their interest the entire time. They actually involved the kids and had them doing things, not just watching."

While some memories are made during school visits, others are made during the academic summer camp programs that bring young people to campus. The College of Education & Integrative Studies' College Academy project features two five-day sessions this summer for elementary school students (grades 2-5) and two five-day sessions for middle school students (grade 6-9). All provide learning experiences in visual arts, music, agriculture, design, sociology, history and psychology, with the middle school sessions offering overnight stays in the university dormitories.

"They engage in activities that show them being on a college campus is not threatening; it's actually fun. They also learn that coming here as a student is well within their grasp," says College Academy project director Stefanie Saccoman.

Community groups and organizations are also involved in a number of on-campus events. For more than 20 years, local Boy Scouts troops have taken part in Merit Badge Day, a Saturday when Cal Poly Pomona faculty, staff and students help youngsters earn a badge in a specific area of interest. This spring, a separate Girl Scout Day was added, providing girls a chance to explore interests in engineering.
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"Merit Badge Day is one of the best community outreach activities we do in the College of Engineering. The scouts enjoy the day and the faculty, staff, and students who help find it very invigorating," says Phil Rosenkrantz, professor of industrial & manufacturing engineering and himself an active Boy Scout leader. "I know young men who are currently engineering students here that Merit Badge Day is partly responsible for kindling their interest in both engineering and the university."

Additional information on programs mentioned in this article is available through the following contacts:

Panorama is published by the Office of Public Affairs at Cal Poly Pomona.
Questions or comments? Please email publicaffair@csupomona.edu.