2011 Edison School Students Exhibit Project

Photo Courtesy Dayton Public Schools

News Release Date: May 1, 2011

Dayton Aviation Heritage NHP Recognizes Edison School Students' Exhibit Project  

Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park congratulates the Edison School students and teachers who developed the "Who Am I" exhibit, which was commemorated at a school assembly on Friday, May 20, 2011 at the school. The project was part of the National Park Foundation's America's Best Idea grants, a nationwide program in 33 national parks which seeks to connect youth and other underserved audiences to parks.

This exhibit project documented the Edison School students' experiences and presented their knowledge of the lives and legacies of famous Daytonians, Wilbur and Orville Wright and Paul Laurence Dunbar, who played pivotal roles in American history. The student-designed exhibits educated and informed other students, teachers, and visitors.

"Connecting the park to our neighborhood school and providing programming to young people in a segment of the community that is underserved by traditional National Park Service programs are important goals for the park here in Dayton and for the National Park Service nationwide, " said Park Superintendent Dean Alexander. "This project enables the students at the Edison School to connect with the geniuses who grew up and worked in their neighborhood and will hopefully inspire the students along their own paths of success. This project also will help connect the park to the youth of the community and help the students recognize that our National Parks are a legacy of all Americans."

Inspired by the epic Ken Burns documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea, the National Park Foundation, in partnership with Unilever, has awarded America's Best Idea Grants totaling roughly half a million dollars, to 33 national parks across the country. Additional support for the America's Best Idea Grants is generously given by The Ahmanson Foundation and other donors to the National Park Foundation.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION: You are the part-owner of 84 million acres of the world's most treasured landscapes, ecosystems, and historical sites -- all protected in America's 401 national parks. Chartered by Congress, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America's national parks. The National Park Foundation works hand in hand with the National Park Service to help connect you and all Americans to the parks, and to make sure that they are preserved for the generations who will follow.