Port St. Lucie is inviting students to take a closer look at how city government operates through a series of City Hall field trips planned for the upcoming school year.
Scott Samples, the city's communications manager, said the visits will give students an opportunity to see the work of city employees firsthand and learn about the services they provide.
"Students will be able to come in and see some demonstrations from staff. They may be able to understand a little bit more about the police and their work in our utility systems and our solid waste, public works, and it's a visual opportunity for kids to come in and see sort of how city hall is run, how the city works, how the people that work here help to make the city operate smoothly," he said.
The field trips are open to public schools and homeschool groups, with separate days planned for elementary, middle and high school students. Elementary students will attend Feb. 2, followed by middle school students Feb. 9 and high school students Feb. 11.
Samples said tailoring the experience to students' ages can also help them see ways they might eventually participate in their community.
"Those can be different types of learnings, different ways that they get the information, different interests. You know, we've had some kids who've attended the city health field trips, like they have gone on to become interns or they have gone on to apply for jobs down the road. So it's a way for kids to understand what's happening in the city, but also how they might be engaged and involved," he said.
This will be the second year the city has organized the field trips around set dates, allowing multiple city departments to participate at the same time.
"That allows for a more robust experience where you've got the different departments all in one place. They're all doing it at the same time. Kids will rotate in between different departments to be able to hear and see some different things," he said. "And it's worked really well. I think last year we had about 160 participants, both students and chaperones, and so it's paid off. I think kids really enjoyed it, the teachers and chaperones really enjoyed it, and the city staff enjoys it. They love to be able to tell the story of the work that happens here."
Teachers and group leaders have until Oct. 31 to submit a request to participate. Space is limited, and participating groups are responsible for arranging their own transportation and food.