By: Robert Summerell, 2025 Teacher Ambassador and Choral Director at Freedom High School, Morganton
Ever wish you could take your students on a statewide adventure, exploring art galleries, walking historic battlegrounds, peering into a shark tank, basking in the sounds and stories of a symphony orchestra, or even handling real archaeological discoveries? The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) makes that possible.
From one busy educator to another, I get it; we all are inundated with a never-ending to-do list, and especially at the start of the school year, it seems as though we are always doused with a vast, gushing firehose of information that we can’t possibly grasp all at once.
And, oh yeah, “Is my classroom ready?”
We simply don’t have time to waste.
So hear me out: I can personally attest that DNCR offers a goldmine of classroom-ready tools, free field trip opportunities, and meaningful professional development—all just a click away.
Learning Happens Here (and they mean it!)
We teachers are on-the-go all the time, from the moment the morning coffee finally hits, to the last late-night, cross-eyed glance at the computer screen. We don’t have the luxury to search for something we can “hopefully” use, because time is always of the essence.
Cue DNCR.
Learning Happens Here Classroom Resources website is like a well-stocked, virtual workroom filled with grade-level appropriate and content area-specific goodies that are just waiting to be snatched up and utilized. It’s one of those “I wish I knew about this sooner” resources!
Lesson plans aligned with NC standards
Research tools like NCpedia and ANCHOR
Digital and printable worksheets, videos, podcasts, and more
Interactive content on topics from career exploration to Appalachian folk music
Field Trips Without the Financial Stress
Planning field trips is tough—especially funding them. DNCR’s Learning Happens Here Field Trip Fund reimburses costs for visits to the 100+ educational sites they manage across the state. Just a sampling of some of my favorites include:
NC Museum of Art
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
NC Zoo
NC Aquarium
NC State Capitol
Fort Macon
NC State Parks
Discover additional sites at Find a Field Trip | NC DNCR.
The fund boasts a 98% positive approval rating for first-time applicants and provides hands-on learning experiences for students in the state they call “home.”
Your students get out from behind the desk & chair, and into their world around them; and you get to enjoy watching the figurative “ah-ha” lightbulbs turn on in real time, all on the state’s dime.
Professional Development That’s Actually Worth It
We’ve all sat through painful PD sessions that could have been an email. This isn’t that; once again, DNCR delivers!
Forget boring PD. Whether it’s a behind-the-scenes tour of the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, exploring conservation efforts at Goose Creek State Park, or catching a real-life glimpse of artifacts housed at the Queen Anne’s Revenge Lab, you’ll certainly go back to your classroom with a plethora of lesson ideas (and really cool stories) you’ll actually use.
As a 2025 DNCR Teacher Ambassador, I was essentially given a VIP-teacher pass to all that DNCR has to offer. I’ve experienced firsthand how these programs inspire fresh ideas and meaningful connections.
Get Started – TODAY!
Here’s how to dive in:
Visit the Learning Happens Here website and bookmark it.
Subscribe to the Learning Happens Here Newsletter.
Apply for the Field Trip Fund.
Be on the lookout for PD opportunities at your nearest DNCR site (you’ll be the first to know if you’ve done #2 above!)
Share these resources with your grade level team, within your district, and within your broader content area(s). Trust me, it’s a win for everyone.
You see, the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is much more than just a name. It’s a passionate statewide partner in helping us create meaningful and memorable learning opportunities for our children. So as the back-to-school hustle and bustle ramps up, I invite you to join me, DNCR, and countless other educators across the state in providing the gift of experiential learning to students.
Whether you bring your class to a DNCR site or bring the site to your class (via their resources or school outreach programs), you’re helping students connect with North Carolina’s story—and maybe even start writing their own.
About the Author:
Robert K. Summerell is the Choral Director at Freedom High School in Morganton, NC, where he has shared in the creation of meaningful, music-making memories with his beloved students over the past six years. A ten-year career educator in the NC Public School System, Summerell holds degrees in Music Education from Wingate University and Florida State University. His choirs have consistently received "Superior" ratings in competition and have performed for the NC chapter of the American Choral Directors Association at Duke University Chapel. In April 2024, his students performed as members of the National Youth Choir at Carnegie Hall in New York City.