Md. district receives Bluth-Eisman field trip scholarship

ALBANY, N.Y. — National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) Past-President Dr. Linda F. Bluth and her partner, Betsy Eisman, have endowed their 2011 field trip grant to Harford County Public Schools in Bel Air, Md., the association announced.

The field trip grant covers the cost of transportation, entry fees, supplies and/or classroom resource materials so that teachers may continue using the experiential learning gained from math and science, language, social studies and arts-focused field trips.

"It is with great pride that we acknowledge the honor bestowed upon us ... our hope is to provide students who may not have the opportunity to participate in a field trip due to financial limitations the means to do so," said Charlie Taibi, director of transportation at Harford County Public Schools, upon learning that the district had been selected.

This year, preference was given to schools that were damaged by destructive weather forces, such as hurricanes and tornadoes. Harford County Public Schools was selected because of Hurricane Irene's impact, which barreled up the coast just prior to the start of the school year, leaving in its wake 75 percent of Harford schools without power, more than 50 roads impassable — due to downed trees and power lines — and power cut off to thousands of local residents.