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HomeCommunityOrganizationsProject Promise Relaunches Its Popular Salt River Bay Program Virtually

Project Promise Relaunches Its Popular Salt River Bay Program Virtually

The virtual tour features five interactive videos, ranging from 5 to 10 minutes in length. (Submitted photo)

First published on April 6, 2021

Project Promise, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk youth on St. Croix, has announced its Salt River Bay Program — which gives all local public school fourth graders the opportunity to visit and learn about the incredible history of the Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve — is relaunching in a virtual format for 2021. All elements of the original program are included but presented in a virtual format to comply with COVID-19 pandemic safety guidelines.

The three-point program, designed by Resa O’Reilly, Project Promise president and founder, includes an introduction to the park conducted by a park ranger, a video-based virtual park tour led by the classroom teacher, and then a post-experience visit conducted by a park ranger to review and reinforce what was learned. Both visits with the park ranger will be conducted via Zoom.

The virtual tour features five interactive videos, ranging from 5 to 10 minutes in length. Each video focuses on different aspects of the Salt River Bay: the Columbus landing, artifacts, marine life, wildlife and botany. Onscreen questions are designed to cue the teacher to stop the video and lead the class in a discussion about what they are seeing on the screen.

“The virtual tour videos were all produced in-house by Project Promise’s talented board,” O’Reilly said. The entire 2021 Salt River Bay Program, including the video production and program implementation, has been made possible by funding previously provided by the National Park Foundation. Project Promise was unable to use these funds in 2020 because the program was canceled early due to the pandemic.

As the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation raises support from generous individuals and dedicated partners for diverse in-park educational experiences that connect students of all ages to their local parks and inspires the next generation of park champions. From local philanthropic organizations and friends’ groups to local schools and community-based organizations, partners are critical to this effort.

“Our Salt River Bay Program provides many students with a first-time experience at this national park,” O’Reilly said. “Thanks largely to the NPS’s support, each year over 400 students — the vast majority of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds — participate in this program. Our goal is to give every fourth-grade student in St. Croix this eye-opening and horizon-expanding experience. Until it’s possible to resume bringing the students to the park, we will simply bring the park to the students!”

About Project Promise

For more information about the Salt River Bay Program, call Resa O’Reilly at 513-0446.   Project Promise is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk youth on St. Croix by providing empowerment initiatives, cultural programs and family services.  To learn more about Project Promise, visit the website at www.projectpromisevi.com.

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