Cornelia Elementary second graders visited the City of Cornelia on their last field trip of the year on May 11.
The City of Cornelia played host to 120 kids and eight teachers during the field trip.
Community Development Manager Jessie Owensby said she and Cornelia Elementary School teacher Anna Ferguson came up with the idea during a casual conversation.
“May is National Historic Preservation month and I knew I could take the opportunity to teach the kids about the history of Cornelia," Owensby said.
The students visited the Cornelia Fire Department, the Cornelia Police Department, held a meeting with City Manager Donald Anderson and Mayor J.C. Irby and took a tour of the historic train depot. During the second part of the visit, the children walked to Cornelia City Park where they had lunch and played in the park.
The Cornelia Fire Department even showed up at the park to make sure the students were staying cool and sprayed the kids down with the water hose.
“We wanted the kids to get just a little damp so they would stay cool while playing, but the fire department obviously had other plans. We were all soaked!," Ferguson said.
The field trip also helped to satisfy a college and career credit for the students. They learned about firefighters, police officers and how the government works. Mayor Irby fielded questions from many curious students about his job and how one gets into public service. Ferguson said she plans to bring more classes next year.
