Latest / GCA Unmuted: Voices of Virtual Education / Making Virtual School Feel Real with Tonette Price: Field Trips & Events at GCA

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Making Virtual School Feel Real with Tonette Price: Field Trips & Events at GCA · GCA Unmuted: Voices of Virtual Education

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Unmuted, the podcast where we share the stories and strategies that show how Georgia Cyber Academy makes online learning work.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: In a virtual school, connection doesn't end at the screen.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Whether it's a two trip, a museum tour, or a community service event, GTA field trips of virtual field trips and in-person events help students feel like they're part of something real.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm joined by Toinette Price, Assistant Director of Community Partnerships at GTA, who helps bring our school community to life through in-person experiences across the state and even more virtual experiences.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: We'll talk about how field trips and events are organized, why they matter for student belonging, and how GTA makes virtual school feel hands-on and heart connected.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: So thanks again for joining us, Tonette, here.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: But can you share a story or moment from a field trip or an event that really captured what this work is all about?
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thank you, Halton, first for having me here.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited to be here.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: But the story that stands out to me in my the very beginning of my career, and I've been with GCA 17 years now.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um first two years that I was here, I met a family actually in Southeast Georgia, around St.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: Simon's, and they would come to an event.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: And one of the students of the family actually was fighting cancer.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: So she was going through chemotherapy over time.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: So they would come to an event.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: She would tell me how she was progressing.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_01: And then about a year later, um, she came to an event, she ran up to me and said, Miss Tonette, um, I beat cancer and I'm a straight A student.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_01: And the reason why that's important is because of the flexibility and the adaptability that our staff did with this student.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: They understood what she was going through.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: They understood that sometimes she couldn't sit up at the computer, right, Halton.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so they gave her flexibility, they gave her her curriculum to do on the days that she was best.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: And so a lot of people don't realize when a student is suffering or maybe having something that's going on with them personally or medically, um, they end up failing that grade in school.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's a high percentage of that.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: And so that student not only didn't fail, she succeeded and was on our honor roll.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: So that always sat with me about how much we care about students and how when people ask me what type of student comes to us, we can have every type of student that we can support.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: That's so good.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think made her uh come and reach out to you?
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Had she and tell you this?
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Is it because uh you were doing an event and she connected with you?
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh can you tell me a little bit about that?
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: So we had a field trip on St.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: Simon's.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: I think we went to Fort Frederica, if you're familiar.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so when mom and I were talking, because again, you know, these are our families, literally.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_01: So we talk about what's going on.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: So I may ask a family, you know, who you are, where you're from, what brought you to GCA.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_01: And so some answers are different.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: And her answer was, you know, one of my students is going through chemo.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: So we decided to do a virtual academy to give her the flexibility.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: So she was there just having fun.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then we had this discussion at the event.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: And so I kept up with her.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_01: I kept up with the family.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: You know, when they couldn't make it, I checked on them.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: And so they shared their journey with me.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: And it was really just a part of being a part of this community that they knew outside of the teachers that she saw in the classroom, this was a part of the community too.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: So she couldn't make it, she let me know.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then I was excited to see her now be able to come consistently, grow all of her hair back, um, gain all the weight back.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: Like I got to watch the whole journey.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I felt a part of her educational goals, especially with her being able to have social interactions and have fun.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: That's so good.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: What types of field trips, Tonette, and events does GTA offer throughout the year?
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, that's what you do, right?
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: So lay it out for us.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: What kind of field trips do our students get?
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: What kind of uh events?
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: And then you can also mention the virtual side because as I understand it, you also offer virtual field trips and stuff as well.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: But uh break that down for us.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: For sure.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, uh, it's so hard, right?
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: Because um, I'll start off first.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_01: We do about 250 events per year.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: So a lot of people didn't realize in a school year, you know, we may have 25 events and then we have community partnerships, donations.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I talk to you about that all the time.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: We go to Hawks games, we go to the Fox Theater, Braves games, but our regular field trips can be something from the Georgia Aquarium, the zoo Atlanta.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: But Halton, I like the extraordinary, right?
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: So stuff that they don't get to normally do on the weekend with their parents, like hike a mountain, go see a waterfall, staying in the ocean on Jekyll Island, go on a dolphin boat tour, um, things that you wouldn't regularly see, even at a regular brick and mortar school, we try to do that.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: So anything that's interesting, exciting.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: But the other part is in the planning, we try to think about themed months.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: So you think about October, there's a lot of corn mazes, apple orchards.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: So we think about the seasonality of the year to also have us show up at places that we would love to go.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so it's just different things.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_01: And then you think about the social part.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe it's just an arcade, skating, bowling.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we have middle school and high school meetups so that they can meet people in their age group.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: Even last week I had a K-5 meetup and we just had a park play day.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_01: So I think about what do kids want to do?
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: I literally turn into a five, 10, or 15-year-old and say, what's too cool or not cool enough for a 15-year-old, right?
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, what would they want to see?
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: What is the show that's coming into town?
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: Can I try to get a donation for it?
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: And then virtually we take them all over the world, Halton.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: So we get to take them to the state parks, the national parks, all across the country.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we've even gone to museums across the world and just had a virtual field trip.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: So we can take them inside, walk them around.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: We even had a partnership with Microsoft and they would take us into different museums.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: They had specific ones made up by the Microsoft platform so that we can physically walk through a space virtual, right?
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: Feel like I'm turning left and now I see a dinosaur.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: I turn right and I see this.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: So we do things like that, or our friend Eco Erica may do something where we send them an ingredient list of things that they can make for them to do either ingredients for something to make for food or the ingredients to make a science project, not blow up your kitchen, but something really fun where they can do it at home and we can work together and we ask them to send pictures, Falton, because we're still in a classroom.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: So we want to see them working.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_01: So you'll see physical field trips and virtual field trips where people are having a great time.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: So we try to think critically about that.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: Monique hopes our champooed hour so they can meet our mascot.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: Because again, some children may not get to come to Atlanta or some of the events and see him.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_01: So we have virtual time with champ that we do, and Mr.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: Vince even does drawing with Mr.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: Vince.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: He actually is a graphic designer, so we have him to teach our kids to draw different characters and they spend extra special time.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: And me, Mr.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: Rent, Mr.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um Halton, I actually do zoo events.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm inside of zoos all the time and aquariums, maybe touching things that I don't love, but I do it for the kids.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: If they tell me to touch the snake, I'm gonna touch the snake.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: I'm actually gonna meet a slaugh soon, and I've met some really creative and interesting animals all across the state of Georgia and the neighboring states.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: So we do things so we can bring the zoo to you.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: Again, some of our kids cannot come out all the time, so we try to still have these extraordinary experiences, even coding online, different things that we do.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: That if you can't come in person, you still get a really great experience online.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: And leaving out a big one that you do.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: Well what you do too.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: Tell us a little bit about your ginormous project in the spring and the fall.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: Well, they called community day.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: So tell us a little bit about that one as well.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: I'm l I'm living in community day planning right now.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: So if you want to talk about the planning and the events, again, the seasonality, it comes back to what happens in October.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: So October and April are our community day events, right?
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: So that's the day where everyone gets off school, halting and it's coming soon.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, everyone gets off of school and they get to choose a location and go and have fun.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: So we have bowling, skating, corn mazes, farms, petting zoos, all that kind of stuff in the fall.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: In the spring, we'll do park days where we have DJs, bounce houses, gang trucks, all kinds of stuff that we do to have like a big end of the year party.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: So the events can be very diverse.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: And again, it depends on the community.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: We got to always remember everything is not Atlanta, everything is not Winnet.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: So when we're in Augusta, we may do something different than what we do in Columbus or Valdasta or Tifton, right?
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: So we try to find something that people will want to go to.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe this is the aquarium at the Flint River, or we want to go to Oxbow Meadows up in Columbus, or we want to come down to you in Savannah, right?
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: And go to Tybee Island and maybe do the Marine Science Center.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: So we try to find places that will partner with us because we are large and can take as many students as possible for the budget to get them in there.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: And then we find free locations and community partners to work with us as well.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: But yes, you're right.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: That's a big event that we plan every year.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: So it's one in the fall, one in the spring that we host annually.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: And tell tell us a little bit more about uh how many students is there a limitation on how many students can go to different events?
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: And then you also mentioned pricing.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: So are students always free, or do they have to sometimes pay a little bit?
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: Tell us a little bit about that with these field trips and events.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: So it's an interesting thing.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we call ourselves the budgeting kings and queens, right?
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: So we try to think about the money we have and what can we do.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: And I will tell you, it this is a probably a big and interesting number.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: In donations alone, one school year last year, we had about$80,000 worth of donations to tickets and events.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: So imagine the things that we were able to do that we didn't pay for.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I want to be clear these are people that are community partners that gave us 150 tickets to the Hawks, 40 tickets to the Fox Theater.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: We even got to see Hamilton and sit in the front row, uh, Mr.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: Halter.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: So those some things that we never will pay for because of the generosity of community partners.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_01: The Dunwoody Nature Center hosts events for us for free, forever.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: We have a partnership.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: Whenever I call them, we can bring them.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: So, in a general sense, students do not have to pay ever.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: We pretty much let the students come for free, but we give an opportunity like last week.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, if they came to the symphony and the tickets were available for the public and we kind of hit our budget, they can purchase their own.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: So that you doesn't make sense.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: So it doesn't mean we're charging them.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, hey, the symphony has a thousand seats, we could only fill 60.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: But if you want to buy a ticket, you can come.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_01: And that event specifically, we work with them and part and the parents were free, so they didn't have to pay for the tickets.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: So if you had one student, you paid five dollars and you got to go to the symphony.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_01: So some of the families chose to do that.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so everything we can't pay for in large volumes, but in general, we try to take care of one adult and all children for a field trip.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_01: The only time we're asking for any adult fees is to allow for more children to go, honestly.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, to allow for us to let that sibling or extra family come if the parents are willing to pay a small fee.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: So if it's a big site like Rock City Gardens, it's very expensive.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: But we just asked if we can take care of all the children, can you pay for your adult tickets?
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_01: So every once in a while you'll see in the calendar that we ask for that.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_01: Because again, sometimes the parents, you know, they understand that they want to get as many kids as possible.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: So they're pretty flexible about how that looks.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: But we work on donations, grants, fundraising to be able to do it.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: But I think a lot of GCA families don't realize how big we are.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: So imagine that I have to provide field trips for 10,000 students every school year.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: So we try to budget appropriately, find free locations, and find places that will take a lot of people.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like the High Museum, they let 120 of us come in for free every single year.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, when we go to the Tennessee aquarium, they have a 100% off grant that we take.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: So all the children are free.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: So we try to find things like that where it's a balance, right?
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: If all we're asking for is maybe one adult ticket to be paid for and we can bring the whole family.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_01: Parents are usually really pliable because in a traditional school, honestly, it costs all the way.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_01: So us having a budget to majority of the times pay for everybody is really cool.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's that was the next uh segue too, which is great.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: Is so you plan these uh different field trips, events that you mentioned, whether they're social or museum education related or our big uh spring and fall community days.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: But tell us a little bit, as you just briefly said, about all the planning and coordinating that goes into we have 10,000 something students, and you're not just planning, as you said, for Atlanta, you're planning for the entire state of Georgia.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe tell me a little bit about your team and maybe about the planning process that goes into making sure we're gonna coordinate events that is gonna reach K through 12, not just K to five or not just high school.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: How do you guys even go about making sure how are we gonna plan this and coordinate all these events throughout the school year uh for this ginormous student body in the entire state of Georgia?
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_01: Well, the first thing I'll say is that we're broken up into regions.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_01: So we try to do it in the best way possible so that that person can support a region.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: And the reason why we do that is it's also a consistency, right?
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: So if Miss Erica is in region two, five, and seven, those families get to really know her.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll still pop into that region and maybe some of the staff will go there.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: But the first thing is that we divide the state.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: So we're in 12 regions.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: Region three is Atlanta, which is of course the biggest.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's half of the school's population.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: So that's why you'll see some people will say, Well, we have a lot in Atlanta.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, we have a lot of students to cater to in Atlanta.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, most years we have a minimum of 4,500 kids that are Atlanta Metro within an hour of Atlanta downtown.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: So we have to do a lot in Atlanta to just even address the population is right there in the hub of the state.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so what we do is we broke it up into regions, and in each region, we kind of figure out literally what's there.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: So back when I did this job alone, I did all 12 regions crazy.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I went and I did about 15, 20 field trips, just stayed on the road to be able to meet all the families and hang out with them.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_01: But now, since I have a team, they all have a region, and in each region, they figure out that part of the state, they find out the really cool options that they have and they create community partnerships, right?
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: So a part of it is not just, hey, I'm gonna pay a museum.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: It's hey, can I work with this specific organization?
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: They understand our students.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_01: Can we work with you and partner with you?
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like the Albany Museum of Art lets us come for free.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: They've hosted community day for us.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: So again, that's no cost for us.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: They provided all the supplies, all the staffing, all of the painting tools, like literally the students were painting, drawing, all that.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: None of that was at cost.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: So a part of what we do is when we're spending the time in the community, we connect with people there, we find the events and we figure out a way that we can get as many children as possible into that door.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: What kind of opportunities do they have?
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: Who do they want us to meet?
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: Now, what's funny the other day, guess who reached out to me?
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: Captain Planet.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: So some people know that name, some people don't.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: So it's organizations throughout the state that work with schools and they're like, hey, I love GCA.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: It sounds awesome.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: Explain it to me.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: Can we partner?
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: Can we work together?
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: Right?
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: So there's different organizations that we'll find within the community because it's hard.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm honestly, since this is going to parents and teachers, let us know who's there.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: I know a lot of times we'll say we know that facility or we do events, but Halton, we need community partners.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: So if you know the Coca-Cola plant in your area, we would love to do a behind-the-scenes tour, right?
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: The last time I was on a film set, the first thing I said is, Can I bring my children here?
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: Can they walk through this film set and learn about the film industry?
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_01: So wherever I go, even this is a funny one, at jury duty, I asked the judge, can I bring my kids here and learn about the judicial?
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: And he said yes.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: So, really, all of us think that way.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: And that um diversity of the whole state where we have mountains and ocean, we all go out and try to find places for the students to go, figure out the pricing, figure out the budget, and we do a lot of planning based on kind of our calendar.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_01: So, three months I can tell you about January is our planetarium month.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, December, we're actually doing indoor snowball fights, right?
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_01: So Georgia's an interesting state where it doesn't get as cold, right, Halton.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: If I come down to Savannah with you, so it's got to be this really cool thing.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_01: So last um December, Vincent came up with the idea of getting these snowballs from Amazon, and they had big snowball fights on Skidway Island, and it was the best.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: And they did um snowball fights and s'mores.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_01: So they actually bought the supplies for s'mores and made it a really fun December event.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_01: So, guess what we're gonna do this year?
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_01: Same thing.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: So we think about things that really work and make it work into that month.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll do those snowball fights.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_01: I also went to Babyland General.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_01: So when I went up to Babyland, everybody wanted to go see the cabbage patch.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm gonna bring that back this year.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_01: But guess what?
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: Now we're gonna also do cookie decorating.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_01: So it's some things that we think about, and then we think about how do we make it better?
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: How do we make it inclusive to all the different grade bands?
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe the older kids want to do this and the younger kids want to do that.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: So we want to separate them because maybe every 12th grader doesn't want to see a first grader, right?
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: When they're at an event.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_01: So outside of them having their own meetups at that own event, we try to think about diverse ways to make them excited about coming.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: So clearly doing these events give the students a social opportunity, right?
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: They're able to interact, socialize, make friends, and that's great uh opportunity as a virtual school.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: Can you tell me a little bit about the kind of feedback?
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: Because you just mentioned when you get feedback about an event y'all do, and they're like, oh man, this is awesome.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: Y'all take that into account.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: You either build off of it or you keep doing it.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: So can you tell me a little bit about the feedback you receive?
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: Do you receive the social side of things?
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: And they're like, man, we love this, we want more of this.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: What kind of feedback are you getting and is your team getting for from students, from parents, and from staff at these events?
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_01: So uh what's interesting is it's twofold.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_01: We do do a survey after events for some of the specific events, especially if it's new, and then after community day, we want to know how did it go, right?
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: Was it a really great site?
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, down to where the bathroom's nice.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'm being honest.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's a real thing.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: These people want to say they want to come back to a location.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so we get the feedback in surveys.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_01: I get it all the time in person and of course on email.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_01: So students send me back, hey, this was a wonderful location, can we do this?
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: Or hey, I know our arcade since we went to this one.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: Can we go here next time?
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_01: So the feedback that I normally get is usually positive.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_01: And even if it's something where it's a room to grow for the staff, um, we take that in account in our planning.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: So, like you said, a big portion of what we do is driven by what they want to happen.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: Now, certainly I can think critically and believe that I chose the best location, but after that, someone may send a big park and say, Can we go here?
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: Or I'm sure people will say, When are we going to go back to Piedmont Park?
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_01: Because that's something that's not happening this year.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_01: There's various reasons why we may choose to go back and forth, or that we may do it every other year, just so that they're not seeing it so much.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: Does that make sense?
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_01: So some of the things that happen in um some of our like Columbus, Augusta, Albany area, they would say we go there too much.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: Is there anything else that we can do?
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: Can we do some of the things that you see in Atlanta?
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: So that's some of the things that we'll get.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: And a part of what we can do is be creative.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: But in in some instances, it's the world of Coke, it's only in Atlanta.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I can't bring a world of Coke to Tifton, but we can find a way to still kind of cater to that family that's looking for that level of experience.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: Or Halton, what we do is we move things to ELD or an async day.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: So the family that may live further away, they can drive up and come to one of those cool events because it's a day off of school anyway.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: So we try to think about that.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: So a lot of times, if you guys watch, we'll put the really spectacular, awesome stuff on an ELD because we do understand that maybe it's a little further for some and they don't want to miss their whole school day.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_01: So when I go to the Jacksonville Zoo, I'm going to put it on an ELD.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_01: When we went to the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, which we did, I put it on an ELD.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I put it on a day that maybe more people can have access to.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_01: And if they know it's an ELD, then they can take off work because some parents are like, mom and dad want to go.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you have to think about that.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: And we try to be very thoughtful to the fact that again, if you live outside the area, maybe you can still come.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_01: And Halton still record the longest drive to a field trip is six and a half hours.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: So I like to tell people that when they say, Oh, that's 30 minutes away, and I'm like, On average, on in a regular week, someone has driven at least two to two and a half hours away.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_01: And that's not because of traffic, that's distance.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_01: Because they really enjoy and they see.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: The first thing I said when I got hired is if I go on all these journeys and adventures, all I'm asking you is to show up and go with me.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: If I'm willing to talk and bust down doors and tell them that virtual schooling is the same as brick and mortar, just come through the doors with me.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: Don't only go to the things in your backyard, show them the world.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_01: Georgia is a beautiful state.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_01: And a lot of people have never been to the mountains, never been to the ocean.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_01: I remember going to Savannah, and some families had never been to Tybee Island.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_01: So their first time going was there.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_01: I've taken people on their first symphony, first ballet, first opera.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: And this is adults and children because they say I didn't grow up with all these field trips.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: So when you think about it, it's not just about the exploration for your child, it's something to build that in yourself.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_01: So I always say if it does look interesting and it's outside your area, give it a try one time.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we really try to be thoughtful about bringing things that will make a big impact on your life long term.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I will mention for our audience that isn't in GCA, ELD is the enhanced learning day, right?
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's where uh students don't have live classes, correct?
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: So they're they're able to go and do these awesome events that y'all are planning.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think, Tonette, then could a virtual school, uh a hybrid school, or even a brick and mortar school could learn from how GCA does field trips and events?
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I think what they can learn is to think outside of the box.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, from the day I was hired, I had to think differently because a lot of times people are planning for a school that's in one community, right?
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_01: If you have a brick and mortar school, that's your community.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: And even when I talk to my nieces or friends that they go in that one community, they live in Cartersville, they're gonna go to the TELUS, right?
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_01: They may go to the Georgia aquarium.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_01: Think about the whole state.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_01: Think about the opportunity on half days and even right before the summertime in those end of the year events, find something new or different.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of the kids have told me when they've come from different programs or schools, is that we did the same field trip every year.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_01: So I would think about partnering up with even if it's a neighboring community or something that's an hour away, really talking to the people that are around you.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: Look for grants, look for sponsorships.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: That's something that makes us very different.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's what I actively do every single day is I think about who can I partner with, who can I connect with, who has the same mission as this school, right?
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_01: Halton, who wants to impact students in a bigger way?
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_01: That's how we partner with Microsoft, that's how we partner with the Dunning Booty Nature Center, that's how we partner with so many different organizations because we had a similar mission to impact the students.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_01: And a lot of times people are unaware in their own backyard, there's a lot of funding, even down to they'll pay for the buses.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_01: I like to tell brick and mortar students and um teachers and people that I meet, like, there's something in your community I do all the time for free.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: And a lot of them don't know that it exists.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_01: And just taking the time to learn who has a grant, who has a sponsorship, is there a day that's free for the public?
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like one thing we do that's fun every year.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_01: We go to the Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_01: So all our North Georgia families that want to join me, we go on their free night.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_01: I just thought it was a good idea, right?
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: First, it means that you can get there at 5:30 after school.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone can get in for free.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I just called them.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_01: I said, hey, we're school in Georgia.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: Is it okay if I bring them on your free night?
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_01: Not as a field trip, but they would, you know, do this.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: And they said, absolutely, the more, the merrier.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I think what people get afraid of is no.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_01: And so the other thing that I would say is never be afraid.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_01: I rarely get no.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you're talking to a person that called SeaWorld and said, Can you do a virtual field trip for us?
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_01: And I sat in the boardroom and they said yes.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: They said, absolutely, we'll do this for you.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_01: And matter of fact, we're gonna do it on the day that it's closed.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: You won't see anything except for our staff and the animals.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_01: So during COVID, they understood our mission.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: They wanted to do something extraordinary.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_01: And for the first time, they hosted a field trip or a school virtually where they had six employees stationed all around SeaWorld showing the dolphin.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_01: They jumped up in the air for us, Halton.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_01: They swam for us, they talked about their um veterinary care.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_01: We saw all kinds of animals.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_01: I actually saw a swath that day because they have really cool aviaries and different animals there.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_01: They saw a star, they flipped it over in the camera so we could see all the inner workings.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: It was a fantastic day.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: We had over a thousand people on Zoom watching that.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_01: So, again, never be afraid of no.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_01: All of my yeses came just from the passion that I have from this school.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_01: The Tennessee Aquarium, the Chattanooga Zoo, um, Thailand's Nature Center, all of them during COVID understood we had to do field trips differently.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_01: So, how do we do that same field trip and give them the same impact, but do it virtually?
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_01: And so, those few years, Paulton, all of those different people that didn't really know what would happen with their business understood they still wanted to partner with us and show the animals and show what they can do and show the environment and be a part of our mission.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_01: So I think what makes us different again is thinking every single way and every single day about how do we impact the students in a different way, not always for a cost, but some way where we can just work together.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_01: So I would just encourage anyone that watches this that says, oh, well, it's a virtual academy or it's different.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: What I do is go out and I just on behalf of the school, I ask for it.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_01: I say what we can do for them, and we make sure that what we do makes the same mission.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: No, that's so good.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: Thinking outside the box.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: And clearly, you spend a lot of your time being like, How can I make partnerships to then be able to provide amazing events for the students here at GTA?
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_00: And just what you were saying reminded me of the quote, you missed 100% of the shots you don't take.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: So uh you are taking the shots, right?
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_00: You are you are gonna be like, How can I make a partnership?
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_00: How can I create an experience?
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: So this will get you fired up, I imagine, Tonette.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_00: But what would you say to somebody who's like, you know what, virtual school, you can't build community.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: You can't build a strong relationship or foundation, you can't build uh social connections at a virtual school.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: No chance.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_00: What would you say to somebody who says that?
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, I'm the field trip lady.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: That's the first thing that I say to everyone.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_01: So I have that wonderful, lovely title, but the children know me very passionately and lovingly as the field trip lady, meaning that I am the social backbone of this school.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_01: So if you don't understand what that means and what that looks like, let me explain it to you.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_01: So even though you're in a virtual environment, you have this connection online, you have classes, and the students learn, after those hours, they have the opportunity to go out and see the world in an extraordinary way.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_01: So we provide in-person opportunities, virtual opportunities for them to connect.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_01: And in those connections, not only do we have friendships that are a lifetime, um, but I tell people all the time we have our very first GCA baby.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_01: So think about these teenagers met at an event, their families became very close.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_01: They went to prom together, they got married, and last year they had twins.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, that's amazing.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_01: I talk about what happens at an event, everything you can think of: people exchanging numbers, people making contacts, people making connections.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_01: I met my first Olympian at a GCA event, and she helped us to try to start a track club.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_01: So there's different things that happen at events when people show up.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_01: The largest event GCA has ever hosted is 4,700 people in one place at one time.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_01: So when people tell me do they get to meet people, it's kind of laughable.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so our smallest event can be 20, our biggest event can be close to 5,000.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_01: So there is a community that lives and breathes that makes sure that they show up for us, that big community day event that brings out half of the school when it can, whether that's virtually and in person, right?
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: So the the thing about virtual schooling, it's only as good as you make it.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_01: So one of the graduation years when we started doing our patch program, which is a program we do where we they earn patches by the amount of events that they attend, right?
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_01: So they can get a Miss Tonette patch that basically shows that they've come to a lot of my events.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_01: So the first year we did that for our graduating seniors, we had five seniors that over the course of their time at GCA, either K through 12, 6 through 12, they did over 1,000 field trips while they were at GCA.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_01: And they earned their patches because of the amount of time they spent in the social environments that we have in educational field trips.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_01: So we awarded them those patches, and every single year we do that.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_01: We have some students that have only gone to virtual field trips because they can't leave the house, medical issues, whatever.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_01: We have a student that does hundreds of virtual field trips because she that's how she engages.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_01: So you find the way that you engage, right?
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_01: But the opportunity is there.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_01: We can never say that it's not an opportunity for them to connect.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_01: So it's all it's always this is what I do.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_01: So imagine how many educator friends I have.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_01: So I have to advocate for GCA all the time.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_01: But I think the interesting thing that I'll kind of shift a little bit is during COVID, they understood better.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_01: They understood the platform that we have and how we work, and that's when everyone was asking for help.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_01: Well, how do we do this and how do we do that?
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_01: And even GCA got calls, right?
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_01: How do we still engage our students?
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_01: Because they saw that we did it and we do it well.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_01: I have to say that.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_01: I again I've watched it for 17 years.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_01: The teachers and staff here love our students, they do all that they can to impact them.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_01: So, again, to say that there's no community, please show up at one event.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_01: One event where you'll see a kid pushing another kid on the swing that she met five minutes ago, right?
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_01: You'll see parents at a picnic table exchanging information, making play dates.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I've had parents say I've interacted more with a school and parents and been more connected at GCA than I've ever been in a brick and mortar school because you invite us to be a part of it.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_01: I always call it being under the tent of education.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes school can be very closed off, like you can't get into that area and understand what's happening.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_01: Here, you can come under the tent and play.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_01: You can come under the tent and learn.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_01: You can come under the tent and engage with someone that's just like you or different than you, that has a different reason, but they show you how to do school better too.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_01: I always tell parents we have some people that are seasoned here.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: Anyone that's been here five years or greater, raise your hand.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_01: All of my new parents, please talk to them before you go.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_01: So I think about that.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_01: You know, how do we do that?
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_01: How do we keep them interactive and connected?
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a really, really cool opportunity that they get to do when they're coming to events.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's not just a social experience for the kids, it's for the parents, it's for the teachers, it's for the staff to be able to engage.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_01: Staff have told me year after year, Halton.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_01: I know my students better at a virtual academy because I know the whole family.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_01: I know that Jim is sick.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_01: I know they just had to take the dog to the doctor.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_01: I know that grandma's coming this weekend because we engage with them in our conferences and people pop up behind them on the video and say, Hey, I've even had children when we have our virtual field trips, send me pictures of their dog on the screen like this.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_01: Like, he he can't wait for the next field trip, Miss Jonette.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_01: The whole family.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_01: I have babies that are in, you know, sitting there watching the field trips.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_01: That are I I have uh four kindergartners this year that just started.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_01: They were in strollers when I met them.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_01: And the first thing they say is, Now I get to be in the school.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_01: So they are waiting to get in because they see.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, even when we did our patch ceremony where we did it for our younger kids, one little boy said, Why didn't I get a patch?
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I said, Well, you're not quite a student yet.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so sorry.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_01: And so he talked to his mom for the longest time on the side, like, I need a patch, I've been at all the events, and she's like, You're three.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_02: So we can't do it.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_01: So the community is built from the moment that they start, even with the younger students that I've been able to watch grow up, even with the grandmother that brings them on the field trip, the whole family is involved.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_01: So when we talk about community and why, everybody has a different why.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_01: I'm here to service that that why was a good reason for them to stay.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_00: With all that being said, leave us with this.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_00: What is the biggest lesson, or just a lesson that stands out to you that you have learned about building community at GCA through these different events that you put on?
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_01: So it's interesting.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_01: So the biggest thing that I've learned, and a lot of people say that you buy a person a gift, they play with a rapper, that kind of thing.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_01: So I can do the most dynamic field trip in the world, which we do, and I'm I'm sure that the parents really um love and engage it, but the simplest field trip is the best one.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, just giving them the opportunity to have what we call meet and greet time, right?
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_01: Where you can really interact.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_01: So if we're doing all these things, and again, doesn't mean they don't meet each other.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_01: But the other day, I had 80 people in a park and I just let them run and play.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_01: I pulled a couple of balls out of, you know, I've literally been an event, pulled out a tug of war rope and a football, and that's an event for 150 people.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_01: I'm being serious at a playground, just giving them the space to play, give them the opportunity to be able to connect.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_01: I've heard even from brick and mortar students, well, we have about 10 minutes of talk time and they shorten our brakes and we can't do this at lunch.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_01: We can't sit next to our friends.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_01: So again, think about this environment where we can provide that opportunity of PE, just run and have fun.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_01: So I've learned over time, I love the events, doesn't mean we won't always do it, but I always incorporate um Halton that we have just some play days, just some sit-down, like Monique does, just some sit-down, have hot cocoa, play board games, same things with Mr.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_01: Vince, same things with Mr.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_01: Miss Erica, just to come and play color, do different things together.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_01: I've learned that that is the community, the people that just want to connect and be together, and that I love being a part of that.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_01: I love thinking outside of the box, and I love GCA.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_00: So good.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_00: So here's today's big idea.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_00: When schools meet families where they are, online and in person, virtual learning becomes more than a model, it becomes a movement.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_00: So thanks again to Tonette and her team for you know joining us and sharing her insight and building this community at GTA.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_00: And if this episode made you rethink what a school community can look like, be sure to subscribe and join us next time on GTA muted voices of virtual education.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Tonette.