Fourth Grade Class Takes Field Trip to UVF - University of Valley Forge

Fourth Grade Class Takes Field Trip to UVF

Fourth Grade Class Takes Field Trip to UVF

On November 12, 2018, a fourth grade class from Barkley Elementary School in Phoenixville, PA came to visit the University of Valley Forge (UVF) for a career and college prep field trip day. Megan Knorr Walsh – a UVF senior majoring in Early Childhood Education – was their student teacher who organized the trip as part of her student teaching requirements; fulfilling her last semester before she graduates this December.

 

Students arrived on campus with their parents at 5 PM for a tour of UVF. They started at the mail room where each child picked up a map of their stops and a career development worksheet. From there, the class gathered in Cardone 101 to hear from Walsh about what college is and why people attend college. A few other UVF students also shared with the class what they were majoring in, what they were planning to do after college, and showcased what they learned while studying at UVF. Digital media senior Blaine Cooper shared about the digital media program and showed his portfolio of photos and videos to the gathered students and parents; senior social work major Grace Ardila shared about being a social worker and taught the students calming strategies she teaches to people in stressful situations; and senior music major Phillip Warda talked with the class about music and played his saxophone for them. One of the fourth graders thanked Warda remarking, “I don’t know how you did that; I can’t breathe when I play my saxophone that long!”

 

After the UVF students’ demonstrations, the class took a tour of a dorm room on their way to UVF’s gym to learn about college sports with the men’s basketball team. The team led the kids in stretches, taught them some basketball basics, and played various games with them such as red light, green light; sharks and minnows; keep away from coach; and a relay race. Men’s basketball coach DJ Damazo also shared with the students about the importance of showing thankfulness in anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

Walsh asked her students a few days later what they enjoyed most about the field trip to UVF. Some kids expressed appreciation for the students sharing about their majors and the basketball team for playing fun games with them, and others for learning more about what college is. One student especially mentioned appreciating “learning about calming strategies from Miss Grace. When I got a bad grade on my math test, I was able to use the strategies to calm down.”

 

Thank you, Megan, for sharing UVF with your class!