Bethlehem New York High School senior Aria Shi said she will be able to show off her viola skills to her Chinese grandparents on their home turf this summer when she visits Asia with the Empire State Youth Orchestra.

On Tuesday, the orchestra announced it will make a two-week, six-performance summer tour through China and South Korea.

The 96-piece ensemble will perform in Beijing and Shanghai before heading to South Korea.In that country, concerts are planned for U.S. troops stationed there. The shows will be held at a world expo in Yeosu and on Sorok Island, where leprosy patients were forcibly quarantined in the early 20th century.

Some leprosy patients still live on the island. “I want to go there and just for that moment,” Aria said, “let them forget what they’ve been through.”The orchestra also will perform in Seoul as a benefit for a history museum on Sorok Island. In 2010, a performance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra was the first exposure to Western music on the island.At the World Exposition in Yeosu, the orchestra will perform in a new concert hall. The tour will conclude with a concert of patriotic music at the U.S. Army’s 8th Battalion base in Seoul.

“That is the last place still truly engaged in Cold War,” Helen Cha-Pyo, the youth orchestra’s conductor and music director, said.  Cha-Pyo said the trip offers much more than an opportunity for cultural exchange and sightseeing. But it won’t come cheap: Unless a major donor steps up, each student is expected to contribute $4,000 to cover travel, lodging, instrument rental and concert hall expenses. Two dozen chaperones and staff will join the musicians.The orchestra is raising funds and is selling Yankee Candle products. It also held a gold party at Glennpeter Jewelers and is holding an online fundraiser at kickstarter.com.

The website allows charitable groups to set a goal and a date. If the group does not receive enough pledges to meet its goal by the deadline, those who pledge money are not charged. The youth orchestra set a goal of $6,000 by Feb. 13. So far, $3,000 has been pledged.

via Youth orchestra plans tour in Asia – Times Union.

Ten photojournalist students from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln captured a life-changing experience this winter after spending three weeks in Kyrgyzstan. The students were selected to travel to Kyrgyzstan and work assignments such as homelessness, women issues, and settlement houses, and returned with audio, video, and pictures filled with  lessons that left an unforgettable imprint in their lives. After witnessing problems that the less fortunate citizens had to face in Kyrgyzstan, most students gained an appreciation for their standard of living at home,  along with an urge to utilize their profession to give a voice to the voiceless.

You can read this entire article at dailynebraskan.

Every student travel planner is aware of Disney World, Disneyland, Busch Gardens and Six Flags, but the U.S. abounds with other major theme parks worth a look. Though they offer a full day’s worth of fun and educational programs as well, these less heralded fun spots often get overshadowed by the biggies and drop off our radar.

Some of these second-tier parks are located in metropolitan areas, others in tourist towns far from city lights. One even lies smack dab in the heart of a big-city downtown.

Here are 10 great theme parks that will make a sterling addition to any student group itinerary:

Silver Dollar City
Branson, Missouri

Styled after an 1880s Ozarks village, Silver Dollar City combines snapshots of pioneer mountain culture with 21st century rides and rousing stage shows. In addition to riding the Powderkeg roller coaster and Tom & Huck’s RiverBlast water raft, student groups can watch demonstrating craftsmen, including wood carvers, leather crafters, glassblowers and candle makers. Another special feature: tours of Marvel Cave, the nucleus of Silver Dollar City when it opened in 1960. School programs include educational scavenger hunts, plus lesson plans on subjects like the physics of roller coasters and ecology of Marvel Cave. The park offers open-air venues for student performance groups, and there are opportunities to be part of a parade or participate in opening ceremonies on the Gazebo Stage. (silverdollarcity.com)

Elitch Gardens Theme Park
Denver, Colorado

East of the scenic Colorado Rocky Mountains near Invesco Field (home to NFL’s Denver Broncos), Elitch Gardens Theme Park is the only amusement park in America located in the downtown area of a big city. The 63-acre park offers 37 amusement rides such as Mind Eraser, Disaster Canyon and the Big Wheel, which affords view of the Denver skyline. The park offers special events and concerts in the theater. Student groups can perform in the Trocadero Ballroom or take part in a learning experience during Elitch Gardens Education Days. Cheerleading groups can compete in the annual Spirit Fest Championship. (elitchgardens.com)

Magic Springs and Crystal Falls
Hot Springs, Arkansas

Located near the Ouachita Mountains, about 50 miles from Little Rock, the Magic Springs and Crystal Falls theme and water features thrilling rides, a world-class wave pool, games and attractions for student groups to enjoy. After riding on heart-racing roller coasters like the X-coaster, Arkansas Twister and Hawk, groups can dive into Crystal Falls water park and enjoy attractions like the Crystal Cove Wave Pool and Kodiak Canyon Adventure River. The park also features the state-of-the-art Timberwood Amphitheatre, where concerts and comedy shows take place. Student groups can partake in the annual Education in Motion program and explore the park as a learning environment. (magicsprings.com)

Alabama Adventure Water and Theme Park
Bessemer, Alabama

Located near Birmingham, Alabama Adventure Water Park is a 200-acre amusement park comprised of Magic City USA Theme Park and Splash Beach Water Park, including the children’s area, Marvel City, and a shopping area named Celebration Street. Student groups can enjoy rides like the Hurricane and Marvel Mania, and water attractions such as the UpSurge and Warrior River.  Super Cool School Days packages include activities in Alabama Adventure’s Educational Program, which comes with full-day admission to the theme park and lunch. (visionland.com)

Carowinds
Near Charlotte, North Carolina

Situated on the border of North and South Carolina, Carowinds is an amusementpark name after the Carolina wind.Thepark features eight themed areas: Carowinds Plaza, Planet Snoopy, Carolina RFD, County Fair, Carolina Boardwalk, Carolina Showplace, Thrill Zone and Boomerang Bay. Student groups can ride roller coasters like the Carolina Cyclone, Afterburn, Ricochet and Nighthawk. Boomerang Bay water park offers thrilling rides and activities such as the Crocodile Run river ride and Jackaroo Landing jungle gym. Groups can enjoy live shows and play games to win an ipad. Student performers are granted the opportunity to participate in the annual Festival of Music. Education Days programs focus on subjects like engineering, communications and marketing. (carowinds.com)

Frontier City

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Frontier City is a Western-themed amusement park in Oklahoma City’s Adventure District. Student groups can experience thrilling adventure rides like the Wildcat, Silver Bullet, and Wild Kitty, and catch a view of Oklahoma City from the Ferris wheel. There are water rides like the Mystery River Log Flume and Renegade Rapids. Entertainment consists of live shows that portray scenes from the Wild West, including shootouts, saloon shows and musicals, as well as modern shows in a summer concert series. Student groups can explore the park for a learning experience during Outdoor Classroom Days or on regular operating days. (frontiercity.com)

Dollywood
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Dollywood, an amusement park owned by country singer, Dolly Parton, is filled with rides, attractions and entertainment that reflect the mountain culture of Eastern Tennessee. The park comprises themed areas such as Showtstreet, Rivertown Junction, Craftsmen’s Valley, The Village, The Country Fair, Timber Canyon, Jukebox Attraction, Owen’s Farm, Adventures in Imagination and Wilderness Pass. Along with thrilling rides like the Blazing Fury, Daredevil Falls and Mountain Slidewinder, student groups can enjoy entertaining musical festivals. Special festivals include Kidsfest, National Gospel and Harvest Celebration, and Smoky Mountain Christmas. Student groups can also explore Dollywood during its Adventures in Education days to study subjects such as history, physics and zoology, and geography. (dollywood.com)

Worlds of Fun,
Kansas City, Missouri

Themed after Jules Verne’s book Around the World in Eighty Days, Worlds of Fun is a world-class amusement park that features 43 rides, a 4,000-seat, state-of-the art amphitheater, and an on-site resort. Themed lands include Scandinavia, Africa, Eruopa, the Orient, and Americana, offering thrilling rides such as the Bamboozler, Cyclone Sam’s and Detonator. Adjacent to the park lies Worlds of Fun Village, a resort filled with 22 cabins 20 cottages, and 82 sites for recreational vehicles. Student performance groups may participate in music, dance and cheerleading festivals. During Thrill U Education Days, students can apply physics and math principles to rides. (worldsoffun.com)

Knott’s Berry Farm
Buena Park, California

Knott’s Berry Farm, founded in the early 1900s as a farm selling boysenberries, has expanded into a booming amusement park. Divided into six themed areas: Ghost Town, Fiesta Village, The Boardwalk, Camp Snoopy, Wild Water Wilderness and Indian Trails, it offers 10 roller coasters from the Boomerang to the GhostRider. Student groups can enjoy annual park events like Knott’s Halloween Haunt and the Winter Coaster Solace. Student groups can participate in Physics Day to learn about the concepts that go into constructing the rides and educational tours to learn about the history of Knott’s Berry Farm. (knotts.com)

Hersheypark
Hershey, Pennsylvania

Founded in 1907 for the employees of the Hershey candy company, Hersheypark is an amusement park filled with more than 65 rides and attractions. Performers dressed as Hershey product characters interact with guests throughout the park. The rides and roller coasters are dispersed throughout nine theme areas: Tudor Square, The Boardwalk, Rhineland, Founder’s Circle, Comet Hollow, Mine Town, Music Box Way, Pioneer Frontier and Midway America. Student groups can board rides like Fahrenheit Lift, the Trailblazer Midcourse, or the newest attraction, the Skyrush, the fastest roller coaster in the park. The Boardwalk is a water park that boasts one of the largest water rides in the world. Student groups can gain hands-on educational experiences on subjects such as physics and math during the park’s Education Days. (hersheypark.com)

-by Nana Aduba-Amoah

Ten students from SWAHA Hindu College in Trinidad, who embarked on a student-exchange trip to India’s Delhi Public School, were saddened to return home after their two-week trip.  Some students and chaperons recalled valuable memories such as exploring historical sights from the Ganga River to the Akshardham Temple, eating traditional dishes, venturing into the crowded streets, blending in with natives who bore similar resemblances to them, witnessing the jaw-dropping amount of poverty, but most of all, experiencing the comforting hospitality of students and teachers they befriended at the Delhi Public School.

Read this entire article at Guardian.

Two hundred and fifty-seven students from Gustavus Adolphus College will discover a learning experience from outside the classroom this month. Students are embarking on study-abroad trips as part of the school’s January 2012 Interim Experience to tour countries in Europe and Australia. Although some are visiting for personal reasons, such as comparing cultural differences or observing health facilities, it is evident they all find it important to indulge in the unique educational experience that travel has to offer.

You can read this entire article at Gustavus.

The goal is to raise $10,000 to provide six students with the gift of travel.

Some students gain an appreciation for traveling because it educates them on life lessons that exists beyond the confinements of a classroom—the ability to view the world objectively and to adapt to another culture. Jason Wire was a student who developed a passion a travel after choosing to live internationally instead of going to law school. However, this life-changing experience wouldn’t have been made possible if he couldn’t obtain his own passport.

In this article, Wire encourages readers to donate money to underprivileged high-school students who cannot afford a passport to experience the plethora of benefits that traveling has to offer. So far he has raised $2,275 dollars and wishes to reach $10,000 by Jan 31, in hopes of providing six students with the gift of travel this summer through the Madator Youth Scholarship Fund.

Read the entire article at Matadornetwork.

The less rigid your group travel plans, the easier the planning and coordination process will be. Instead of having a definitive weekend in mind, decide that you want to travel in May and adjust travel dates accordingly. Many band and choral directors come to American Tours and Travel knowing that they want to take their group on a performance trip in the Spring of 2012, but leave the destination and exact dates open for recommendations.

There are numerous benefits associated with a flexible travel schedule, including:

Potential for Lower RatesMaintaining a flexible itinerary and arrival and departure schedule ensures that you will be able to secure the lowest rates available. Traveling on Memorial Day weekend is much more costly than flying the weekend before or after. Being open to these changes will increase the affordability of your trip, allowing more room in the budget for the fun stuff, like meals and attractions.

Reduced Stress

Even the best laid plans can require a little finessing to make things work. Knowing that things aren’t set in stone and that you may have to ‘go with the flow’ to keep your travelers happy will reduce the stress involved in planning and executing a major student travel trip. Be prepared but open to the natural evolution that is often a necessary component in getting large groups of people to work together toward a common goal.Happier TravelersAt the end of the day, it won’t matter to your students if a plane takes off at 7am or 11pm. They are just happy to be competing, performing, enjoying time with friends and maybe getting a day or two away out of class! A flexible schedule can often mean the difference between running through Disney World in less than 3 hours because you’ve got a bus to catch and spending a leisurely day at Universal Studios–riding the Hulk 3 or 4 times and capping off the day with chilled Butterbeers from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Which one do you think your students would prefer?

via Student Group Travel Tip #2: Be Flexible | Student Group Travel.

Devil's Flower Mantid

From sex change to cannibalism, the natural world is filled with wild mating strategies.  In a new aquarium gallery titled Animal Attraction, the California Academy of Sciences delves into the science of sex, exploring the remarkable and often surprising techniques animals have developed for attracting mates and producing offspring.  Visitors will encounter hermaphroditic banana slugs, barnacles that win the award for most well-endowed, cannibalistic praying mantises, parasitic anglerfish, and more than a dozen other creatures.  Animal Attraction opens to the public on Saturday, February 11, 2012.

In a series of eighteen tanks, the exhibit will explore the concept that nothing in life is more important than reproductive success.  Sex—the passing on and mixing of genes—drives evolution, and is responsible for much of what we consider beautiful in the natural world.  If not for reproduction, plants wouldn’t bloom, birds wouldn’t sing, and deer wouldn’t sprout antlers. For the first time, the Academy will use iPads as exhibit labels, allowing visitors to zoom in on gorgeous images, watch videos of these strategies and behaviors in action, and guide their own digital explorations using interactive touch screens throughout the exhibit. A striking wall of photos will illustrate additional examples of plant and animal reproduction and courtship strategies. Throughout the museum, Academy docents will bring these and other stories to life, sharing tales of how giraffes know when the time is right, why cacao couldn’t reproduce without the help of a specific fly, and more.

California Academy of Sciences Exhibit Overview

Animal Attraction will highlight a diverse array of strategies that animals and plants have developed for attracting a partner, and passing along their genes to the next generation, including:

Extreme Mating

Truth can be stranger than fiction when it comes to reproductive strategies in the animal kingdom.  When a male Ceratioid anglerfish finds a mate, he literally latches on and won’t let go.  After biting into the female, the two fuse permanently, and the male will gradually atrophy until he’s nothing more than a pair of gonads. This extreme sexual dimorphism ensures that when the time is right, the female has one or more mates at the ready. For promiscuous garden snails, also part of the exhibit, males who successfully fire a “love dart” at a prospective partner double their chances of paternity.

The Art of Attraction

Cutting through the clutter is serious business when it comes time to attract a mate. Male bower birds of Australia construct bowers—elaborate display arenas decorated with twigs, leaves, and brightly colored objects from berries to bits of plastic—in which to woo females with their architectural prowess, flashy dances and vocalizations. The exhibit will include a colorful bower modeled after an example found in the wild.

Dangerous Sex

Courtship is often at odds with survival. But the need to find and seduce a mate is one of the most powerful forces of evolution.  In some species, like the praying mantis and salmon pink birdeater spider featured in the exhibit, females will sometimes devour males before, during or after copulation, a practice known as sexual cannibalism.  For coral banded shrimp, also on display, the trick to a monogamous relationship is fierce aggression toward others of the same sex.  Living in pairs, these shrimp will fight their mate’s potential suitors to the death.  Visitors will also get up close and personal with a coconut octopus – for this animal, like other octopus species, sex is a tragic milestone.  After mating, male octopuses die within months, and females will stop hunting in order to care for thousands of eggs, surviving just until they hatch.

Creative Parenting

Parental care in the animal kingdom ranges from intensive to practically non-existent, with numerous permutations in between.  At the climax of courtship, male and female splashing tetras (small silver fish native to the Amazon) lock together and leap out of the water to lay and fertilize clutches of eggs on the undersides of leaves, away from the reach of predators.  At that point, mom’s job is done, and dad hangs around for another 36-72 hours, using his tail to splash water on each egg cluster at one-minute intervals, until the eggs hatch and fall into the water, at which point parental care ceases.  Depending on the species and environment, male Betta fish will care for their yet-to-hatch fry by constructing a bubble nest at the surface of the water, or by keeping the brood in his mouth for one to two weeks until they hatch.

Additional Programs for Student Travel Groups

Beyond the aquarium exhibit, visitors will have an opportunity to explore other fascinating stories from the world of plant and animal reproduction through special programs offered throughout the Academy.

THE MAGIC OF LIFE

Daily at 12:00 pm (starting Feb. 9)

In almost 4 billion years, the quirks of reproduction and evolution have created an astounding variety of life forms on Earth. Take a closer look at some of the world’s most wondrous animals, through imagery, video and specimens, and gain a new perspective on how reproduction drives evolution.   Free with Academy admission.

POLLINATION PARTNERS: BEES AND FLOWERS

Daily at 1:00 pm

Pollinators like bees are a crucial link in ecosystems and agriculture around the world, allowing flowering plants—from roses and sunflowers to cotton and strawberries—to reproduce year after year. Bees, who depend on these plants for nectar, communicate the locations of flowers to each other with dances. In this fun, interactive program, discover how these pollination partners help one another, and perform a bee-dance of your very own. Free with Academy admission.

PENGUIN FEEDINGS: SEA OF LOVE EDITION

Daily at 10:30 am & 3:00 pm

The Academy’s African Penguins live in a fascinating social colony. These relationships—who is mating with whom, arranged marriages and family squabbles—are always especially apparent during meal time. Watch the birds dip and dive, strut and show off in their tank at the end of African Hall as a biologist dons a wet suit and hands out vitamin-stuffed herring and capelin. Free with Academy admission.

CORAL REEF DIVES: SEA OF LOVE EDITION

Daily at 11:30 am & 2:30 pm

Watch as a diver suits up in SCUBA gear and plunges into the world’s deepest living coral reef exhibit. Outfitted with an underwater microphone, the diver will discuss love on the reef—from clownfish dads who become clownfish moms to coral spawning and captive breeding programs—and the amazing adaptations these animals have to thrive in this ecosystem. Free with Academy admission.

SPECIMEN SPOTLIGHT
Fridays at 11:30 am

Did you know the Academy is home to more than 26 million specimens?! That’s a lot of fur, feathers, teeth and spines! Join naturalists at the Project Lab who will highlight a different specimen each week, with a special focus on reproductive strategies in the animal kingdom.  Free with Academy admission.

 CHAT WITH AN ACADEMY SCIENTIST – AGES 10+
Second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 1:30 pm
March 14 & 28: Academy curator Luiz Rocha, on the unique reproductive lives of fishes

Meet Academy scientists who study the reproductive strategies of plants and animals all around the globe. Join them for a fascinating look at their work to explore the world, discover new life, and help explain Earth’s amazing story. Free with Academy admission.

FAMILY NATURE CRAFTS – AGES 5-10

Every Sunday from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
February 12 craft: Amazing Dad—Emperor Penguin

February 19 craft: Amazing Mom—Surinam Toad

February 26 craft: Amazing Dad—Lumpsucker Fish
March 4 craft: Amazing Dad—Seahorse

March 11 craft: Amazing Mom—Octopus

March 18 craft: Amazing Dad—Three-spined Stickleback Fish

Get creative with craft projects designed for families with children aged 5-10. Free with Academy admission.

45-word Exhibit Description

From fish that can change sex to insects that eat their mates and snails that shoot “love darts,” discover some of the wildest mating strategies in the animal kingdom in Animal Attraction, a revealing new exhibit of live animals at the California Academy of Sciences.

A revamped Arkansas Museum of Discovery will be unveiled Jan. 14 in downtown Little Rock. It has three new galleries containing 85 exhibits for all ages. In addition to the redesign, the focus of the museum is expanding as well.

Executive director Nan Selz said, “With the help of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, which provided the museum a $9.2-million grant, we were able to rededicate our focus as central Arkansas’ premier math, science and technology center.”

When coming through the new entrance, visitors are in the Great Hall, where a stunning piece of kinetic sculpture hangs overhead. Entitled “A Helix Wave,” the wooden planks undulate, powered by giant piano strings. This entry area is for receptions, gatherings and special events like “Science After Dark.”

The three new areas of exploration are Amazing You, dealing with the amazing human body; Discovery Hall, where physics, engineering and math are investigated; and Earth Journeys, which examines global earth processes and extreme weather in Arkansas. The Science Museum of Minnesota worked with the museum to design the three-gallery format, select the exhibits and to develop interpretive signs. Visitors can learn about “Amazing Airways,” learn to build things in the “Tinkering Studio,” play with a puzzle of the Arkansas River, visit the “Extreme Weather Station,” and view a huge topographic map of the state. New to the museum is “Tornado Alley,” where visitors can “ride out” the 1999 twister that hit Little Rock while listening to memories of those who experienced it.

A few favorites have been held-over from the old property. The “Room to Grow” area is still there but the area has received a facelift. The theater has been relocated to accommodate larger audiences. Many of the resident critters are back in new and expanded quarters. The 18 live animal habitats on the museum floor include ferrets, birds, spiders, snakes, owls and flying squirrels.

The Window of Wonder (WOW) Gallery is where traveling exhibits will be located. Coming attractions include Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Ideas (Jan. 14-Apr. 7), Extreme Deep (Apr. 28-Jul. 29), Design Zone (Aug. 11-Dec. 2), and Grossology (Dec. 15-May 26, 2013).

A packed calendar of events is already scheduled, including African Rhythms and Music in Nature (Feb. 16-18), Sport Science (Mar. 8-10), the State Science Fair (Mar. 31), Nano Days (April 26-28), Bug Out (May 10-12) and Summer Fun Extravaganza (June 14-16).

(501-396-7050, www.museumofdiscovery.org)

The new Ford’s Theatre Center for Education and Leadership (located at 514 Tenth St. NW, Washington, D.C.) will open in February 2012. The center will feature permanent and rotating exhibits, education studios and a distance-learning lab.

The Ford’s Theatre Society will celebrate the opening with several public and private events honoring Abraham Lincoln’s leadership and legacy at both the center and theater. Events include the world premiere of a newly commissioned play about Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass titled Necessary Sacrifices (Jan. 20-Feb. 12),  two free public open houses on Feb. 12 and 20 and an invitation-only event on Feb. 8.

Housed in a building directly across the street from Ford’s Theatre and acquired by the Ford’s Theatre Society in 2007, the center features two floors of permanent exhibits addressing the immediate aftermath of Lincoln’s death and the evolution of Lincoln’s legacy; a Leadership Gallery floor to be used for rotating exhibits, lecture and reception space; and two floors of education studios to house pre- and post-visit workshops, after-school programs and teacher professional development; and a distance-learning lab outfitted with state-of-the-art technology that will allow Ford’s to engage students and teachers nationwide and around the world. The building also houses the Ford’s Theatre Society administrative offices on its upper levels.

“For more than 40 years, visitors have traveled to Ford’s Theatre from all over the world, eager to learn more about Abraham Lincoln and his presidency,” said Ford’s Theatre Director Paul R. Tetreault. “Now, with the addition of the Center for Education and Leadership, learners of all ages can delve deeper into our compelling American history through new exhibits, engaging videos and creative programming offered by the Ford’s Theatre Society Education Department. We are thrilled to usher in this new chapter in the history of Ford’s Theatre and to showcase how Lincoln’s leadership and legacy resonates in our world today.”

(www.fords.org)