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Petey Says Find the "Treasures of the City"
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Animated Parrot 
Photo of Teacher Instructing Student 

Who Is Involved?
Partners in Education is a program that allows local teachers to draw on the resources of business and government to provide additional learning opportunities. The City of Springfield has "adopted" the Social Studies curriculum for all local schools - concentrating primarily on 4th graders to teach them about local government.
photo of child at computer image of hierachy chart 

Goal/Mission Statement of City Government as a Partner
To teach students about local government, to raise their awareness of and give them practical information about their community. Specific goals are:

  1. To work with all Springfield schools to teach children about the services of City government. 
  2. To be available to parents and students alike to show them what a City employee does, and how it takes all citizens working together to keep Springfield a great place in which to live. 
  3. To instill in children the feeling that they are the future leaders of our community. 
  4. To instill in future voters a working knowledge of the governmental process. 
photo of children in class 
How Partners In Education (PIE) Began
The annual program was approved by City Council and debuted in 1990. The first program was called "Secret of the Gargoyles," followed by "Hands Across Springfield," "Opening Our Doors to You" and "The Amazing City Hall." Fourth grade classes are targeted because of their level of learning about local government. The current broad-ranged program has evolved from a simple Social Studies lesson into today's program which encompasses diverse educational avenues including math, art, science, geography, writing and problem solving. 
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Development Process
The City's Partners in Education Coordinator, staff members and teachers decide on a theme and how to best structure the goals to be met. An outline of the event is created. Artwork and copy are developed to enhance the curriculum. An instructional packet is created for all the teachers, with materials which can be distributed among all the students. 
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Structure
A teacher's committee is formed and meets to discuss and refine a packet of information that meets standardized curriculum requirements for instruction on local government. The goal of the committee is to develop an innovative and fun way to educate students about the local government. 

 

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How Does "The Treasures of the City" Take Place?
  • The event takes place at the City Government Plaza, beginning at the Busch Municipal Building on the corner of Boonville and Central streets at 840 Boonville.
  • When students, parents and teachers arrive, they are greeted by a live pirate who tells them the story of his lost treasure. Only the pirate's parrot, Petey, knows where the treasure is hidden, but he speaks only in riddles. At registration, the students receive a "Treasure Map" of the City offices marked with different stopping places throughout the building and a riddled clue leading them to their first stop.
  • Students embark on their hunt for knowledge of City government by solving a series of these clues to find their way to each of the stops. Their goal is to find each of the City departments marked, where they visit with City Councilmembers and department employees and learn about their jobs. The last stop is at City Council Chambers where they meet the Mayor and receive their final treasure and a Kids map of Springfield.

Time Capsule
In 1990, the class of 2000 students wrote a paragraph to illustrate their vision for Springfield's future. All schools sent in their collected works containing jokes, puzzles, short stories and more. This memorabilia filled a stainless steel time capsule and was stored in the attic of City Hall. In a formal ceremony in May, 2000, the first class that participated in the City's treasure hunt opened their time capsule before graduating. Booklets displaying the original artwork and lists of their projections were printed and distributed. Students enjoyed reminiscing and comparing their projections with reality.

For more information, please contact:
Mike Brothers, Special Projects Coordinator, 417-864-1119