Presidio Teachers' Night Celebrates Bay Area Educators

Presidio of San Francisco (October 5, 2009) — Bay Area teachers will move into the spotlight when the Presidio Trust hosts its annual Teachers’ Night this Thursday, October 8 from 5-7 pm at the Golden Gate Club, 135 Fisher Loop, in the Presidio.

Now in its eighth year, Presidio Teachers’ Night introduces educators to the array of learning opportunities for students in the Presidio and the Golden Gate National Parks. The park is an outdoor classroom for more than 20,000 Bay Area students and teachers each year. Award-winning, curriculum-based programs support teachers’ professional growth and help K-12 students achieve academically as well as understand and address major environmental and cultural issues in their communities.

“In these times of tight budgets and teacher furloughs it’s great that this event continues to thrive and is so well supported,” says Lisa Hillstrom, education specialist for the Presidio Trust. “Teachers look forward to this event every year. It honors their dedication.”

The theme of this year’s event, Dive In! Testing New Waters for the Classroom, brings together for the first time many organizations and specialists working to protect and preserve Bay Area watersheds. It includes a special presentation, by award winning author, filmmaker and adventurer Jonathan Waterman, who last year completed the first ever descent from the source of the Colorado River in the Rocky Mountains to the Sea of Cortez. Sponsored by the National Geographic Society, Running Dry chronicles Waterman’s five-month, 1,450 mile journey.

Upwards of 400 teachers are expected to attend this year’s event, along with a record number of exhibitors. Almost 50 Bay Area organizations will have educational materials available for teachers, who will also be able to network with other educators and discover opportunities and resources for learning outside the classroom.

Teachers’ Night is sponsored by the Presidio Trust, the National Park Service, and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

The Presidio Trust was established by the United States Congress in 1996 to administer the Presidio of San Francisco, an urban national park located at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The areas overseen by the Trust include expansive open space and spectacular views, a 300-acre historic forest, and rare and endangered plants and wildlife. The park comprises nearly 6 million square feet of buildings, including 469 historic structures that contribute to the Presidio’s status as a National Historic Landmark District.