Mystic Seaport was awarded a $100,000 grant by the Beagary Charitable Trust–Pat Morgan, Trustee on January 7, 2013. The funds will be used by the Museum to develop and implement an educational outreach program for primary school students in Northeastern Connecticut.
Mystic Seaport will utilize the funds to create activities and learning tools for use in-school, at the Museum, and online. The grant will enable participation by every 5th grader in the region over a three-year period beginning in 2013, and will serve students in the following school districts: Brooklyn, Canterbury, Eastford, Killingly, Pomfret, Plainfield, Putnam, Sterling, Thompson, and Woodstock.
The funding will also be used to develop educational programs for the “Year of the Charles W. Morgan.” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and state legislators designated the 2013-14 academic year to be the “Year of the Charles W. Morgan” in the state of Connecticut to coincide with the completed restoration and 38th Voyage of the Museum’s 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. The designation will afford students across the state a unique opportunity to learn about Connecticut maritime history, the significance of the whaling industry, and the importance of the state’s maritime heritage through the educational programming of Mystic Seaport.
“We recognize it is a challenge for school districts in this era to be able to afford to take students on field trips outside the classroom. This grant will enable us not only to physically bring every 5th grader in Northeastern Connecticut to Mystic Seaport, but also to help us develop in-school and online learning tools to serve students across the state and elsewhere,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White. “We hope grants of this kind can be a model for other organizations who hope to support school access to the rich educational assets institutions such as Mystic Seaport offer.”
A previous grant from Mohegan Sun enabled school children from the greater Montville, Conn. area to participate in Mystic Seaport programming.
The Beagary Charitable Trust is a longtime supporter of Mystic Seaport. In 2008, the trust gave $150,000 for the restoration of the Morgan.
About the Beagary Charitable Trust
The Beagary Charitable Trust–Pat Morgan, Trustee provides financial aid to educational institutions, museums, research institutions, and other organizations formed to preserve and teach United States and world history. The trust also supports organizations with programs that allow children and adults to enjoy intellectual, social, physical, and cultural interactions with their peers and teach sportsmanship and leadership skills.
About Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmarks including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the oldest American commercial vessel still afloat. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
