Summer is just around the corner. School kids everywhere have the same question- where are we going this summer?
A group of elementary school students in Amarillo may have the answer as they invite their cohorts from around the state and nation to come visit their home city after seeing it through their eyes.
This kids-to-kids tourism project features the work of nearly 40 Gifted & Talented students in the fourth and fifth grades from Landergin, Paramount Terrace, Pleasant Valley and Sleepy Hollow elementary schools in the Amarillo Independent School District. Each school developed a unique itinerary, featuring what they feel are some of Amarillo’s best things to do.
All the itineraries are now on-line at the Amarillo Convention & Visitors Bureau web site, www.visitamarillotx.com/visitors.cfm?p=KidsItineraries, and they will be distributed at brochure racks throughout Amarillo and at the Amarillo Visitor Information Center located in the Amarillo Civic Center.
Each of the projects also includes a short video, produced by the AISD students, that shows visitors around their own itineraries. Those videos will also be posted to the Amarillo CVC web site.
“What better way for kids to help plan their summer travel than to get ideas from other children,” Jerry Holt, Vice President of the Amarillo CVC, says. “Research shows that Mom and Dad always listen to what their children want to do for travel.”
“Our kids had a great time on this project. It helped improve their written and verbal skills while also letting the students dabble in the world of graphic and video production. It was a very exciting educational project,” Maria Chrzanowski, Gifted & Talented Learning Facilitator for AISD, said.
The theme of the Landergin itinerary was Welcome to Amarillo, starting with a big image of Cadillac Ranch. Paramount Terrace relied on student artwork to present their favorite local places to visit. The Pleasant Valley theme was a Girlfriends’ Getaway, with shopping and dining catering to young girls and women. The Sleepy Hollow theme stressed the western life and heritage of the area, helping visitors to be a cowboy for a day.
The itineraries and videos were unveiled at a special program at the Don Harrington Discovery Center in Amarillo on May 7, 2009. Also helping with the project was Terry Pedigo of G&P Associates, a local graphic designer who interpreted the students’ ideas and designed the rack cards.
#####
Visit the Amarillo CVC website at www.visitamarillotx.com
Visit the Amarillo ISD website at www.amaisd.org