AG 2005 05 23 - Laserfiche WebLink

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coordinated with the support and cooperation ofthe Cabarrus County Parks and Recreation Department. Our goal is that the students, schools and volunteers (scouts, 4- Her's, church groups, etc.) will maintain the integrity of these learning sites. We envision an outdoor amphitheatre, that slopes towards the central focal point - the presenter - thereby creating equality of sound, auditory and visual acuity for each student and an exciting learning experience. To retain and maintain the natural environment, stones (hopefully donated by Vulcan) will be used as seats and set into the sides ofthe slope. The site selected has these characteristics, in addition to the natural buffer of trees (minimizing the noise from 1-85) and the slope (minimizing the noise from the playground). We will need the assistance of Parks and Rec. in "fitting" the stones into the slope and maintaining the stability of these stones. We are hoping to involve the students themselves, and other groups, i.e. Boy Scouts, the Grange, FFA students, UNC-C etc., in general maintenance and upkeep based on a student/mentor program. It is important that principles learned are principles practiced. During the Cabarrus Agribusiness event held atthe Arena'last year, we had in excess of 2,700 6th graders to attend the workshops held over a period of3 days. We would like to accommodate between 35-40 students at the outdoor classroom at each session. The annual numbers would be difficult to project at this stage, but we anticipate its use by the community and students in both Concord and Kannapolis and hope that this site will evolve into an exciting, hands-on learning experience for individual application in homes and the surrounding locale in which they live, thereby benefiting the County. A key component for the success of this project will be the development oflearning modules designed for students and citizens that will engage them in this learning experience. School teachers, along with The UNC Charlotte Center for Math and Science will create these hands-on, learner appropriate, competency based curricula. Our vision is to develop an exciting outdoor learning site. One that makes learning fun, stimulates further exploration for greater learning retention, and encourages participants to "practice" what they have learned. This project at North Cabarrus Park is an ideal pilot site for future learning sites around the county. This concept has been viewed by many as a model for the State of North Carolina. The enthusiasm for this project is swelling as these plans come together. Those within the school systems with whom we have worked, are both excited and enthusiastic with the development of this project and have expressed their willingness to cooperate. ~-I '7