Indiana’s fourth grade students will once again be able to learn more about the 500 Festival and the Indianapolis 500’s® place and importance in Indiana’s rich culture. The 500 Festival and Indianapolis 500® Education Program strives to educate and foster creativity in Hoosier fourth-grade students by using the historical, social, and economic significances of the 500 Festival, Indianapolis 500®, and the thriving motorsports industry of Indiana in the curriculum. The 500 Festival and Indianapolis 500® Education Program, presented by Indiana University Health, gears up for its 10th year and has had more than 176,000 students participate in the program since its inception in 2004.
This program is free to all schools in the state of Indiana and only offered to students in the fourth grade as this is the year students learn about Indiana history. Schools must be registered for the program to be eligible for the Study Trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway®; not all schools are required to attend the Study Trip and further registration is required. Schools participating in the Study Trip are eligible for a stipend to offset travel costs.
The 500 Festival and Indianapolis 500® Education Program, presented by Indiana University Health, is sponsored by the 500 Festival, 500 Festival Foundation, Indianapolis Motor Speedway®, Indiana University Health, Methodist Health Foundation, AAA Hoosier Motor Club, American Dairy Association of Indiana, Inc., BKD, LLP and the IZOD IndyCar Series®
Deadline for educators to enroll their fourth-grade classrooms in the program is November 30, 2012. Registration is available online at www.500festival.com. For more information, call (317) 614-6129.
