Presidio Teachers' Night Celebrates Bay Area Educators

Presidio of San Francisco (September 29, 2008) — Bay Area teachers will move into the spotlight when the Presidio hosts its annual Teachers’ Night this Wednesday, October 1 from 5-7 pm at the Golden Gate Club, 135 Fisher Loop, in the Presidio.

Now in its seventh year, Presidio Teachers’ Night introduces educators to the amazing 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 stimulate teachers’ professional growth and help K-12 students achieve academically as well as understand and address major environmental and cultural issues in their communities.

The event has grown each year of its existence. Last year 350 teachers attended. More than 500 are expected this year.

“Teachers look forward to this event every year. It’s such an awesome responsibility being a teacher these days,” says Lisa Hillstrom, education specialist for the Presidio Trust. “This event really honors them. It’s great to be able to do something for teachers who are doing so much every day.”

The theme of this year’s event, All Over the Map: Re-imagining Geography, connects teachers and students to the physical and human systems of the earth and how we impact those systems in and around the bay and throughout the world. It includes a special presentation on Geography in the 21stCentury by Bob Dulli, the deputy chairman of the National Geographic Society.

Teachers will have the chance to network with other educators, discover opportunities and resources for learning outside the classroom, and gather educational materials from more than 40 Bay Area organizations. In addition, the Presidio Trust will launch a resource guide for teachers keyed to its new exhibit, War and Dissent: The U.S. in the Philippines 1898-1915, which opens October 22 at the Presidio Officers’ Club.

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 manage the Presidio of San Francisco, a former army base located at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The 1,500-acre site contains the infrastructure of a small city as well as expansive open space, a 300-acre historic forest, spectacular views, and rare and endangered plants and wildlife. It comprises nearly 6 million square feet of buildings, including 469 historic structures that contribute to its status as a National Historic Landmark District, making it unlike any other national park. In establishing the Trust, Congress mandated that it make the park financially self-sufficient by 2013. The Trust is the only federal agency with this mandate.