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School
Field Visit Reservations
The following steps are designed to help you prepare the information you’ll need to arrange your group’s visit to Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts. Because visits are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis, please submit your reservation request early.
| Before you contact Whitaker Center to make a School Field Visit Reservation, please do the following: 1. Review this Guide. Choose the program(s) you’d like your students to participate in. The Educators’ Pass (the blue and white card) inserted into the guide entitles you to a free admission to Harsco Science Center for a preview visit. Click here to request a guide. 2. Choose possible visit dates. Consult your school calendar and your transportation department BEFORE contacting Whitaker Center. If there is only one date your group can visit, please note this on the Reservation Request Form. Submit Reservation Requests at least two weeks prior to the requested field visit date. 3. Confirm your arrival and departure times. Allow at least two hours for a 2-event visit, three hours for a 3-event visit, and four hours for a 4-event visit. Add 30–60 minutes for lunch, depending on which lunch option you choose. 4. Determine the number of students and chaperones participating in the visit. To ensure a great experience for all visitors, please inform us of student and chaperone special needs on the Reservation Request Form. Because Discovery Labs and large-format films have limited seating, we may not be able to accommodate additional students and chaperones on the day of the visit. A minimum 1:10 chaperone to student ratio is required.
5. Ask about Whitaker Center School District Partnership School Field Visit Reservations Contract Program. Ask your principal if your school district participates in the School District Partnership Contract (SDPC) Program. 6. Calculate admission costs. Multiply the total number of students and chaperones (teachers are considered chaperones) by the rate for your visit (1-event, 2-event, 3-event, or 4-event). A 50% deposit is required once your field visit date is confirmed. Schools in districts participating in the SDPC program are not required to submit a deposit.Vouchers and Whitaker Center/ASTC memberships may not be used with school field visits. 7. Choose your lunch option Option A: Bring Your Lunch and Eat at Whitaker Center. Option B: Purchase Lunches in Strawberry Square. 8. Complete the School Visit Reservation Request Form at least two weeks prior to the requested field visit date. Click here to download a Reservation Request Form. If you submit a Reservation Request less than two weeks prior to the visit, you will be required to pay for the visit in full with a credit card. back to top Submit Your Field Visit Reservation Request: Whitaker Center offers two ways to request a field visit. Call (717) 214-4644 to request a field visit reservation. The School Reservation office is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 am-4:30 pm. Please have your completed School Reservation Request Form available during the call. When leaving a voicemail for the School Reservations Office, please provide your name, number, and the best time for a return call. OR Fax your completed Reservation Request Form to 717-214-2791, ATTN: School Reservations Office. back to top What Happens Next? 1. Field Visit Date is confirmed via email, fax or phone within 48 hours. The field visit date will be confirmed during your phone call upon review of our scheduling calendar. Faxed requests are processed in the order they are received. 2. A confirmation packet is mailed to the lead chaperone. The lead chaperone will receive a confirmation packet that includes a Reservation Acknowledgement Form, School Visit Checklist, detailed visit schedule, directions, and floor plan map. Confirmation Packets are usually mailed within 7–10 days after the field visit date is confirmed. 3. The Lead Chaperone signs and returns the Reservation Acknowledgement Form to the School Reservations Office with a 50% deposit payment. Deposit payments can be made with cash, check, money order, Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. The Acknowledgement Form and deposit must be received by the release date noted on the form or the field visit may be cancelled. Schools in districts participating in the School District Partnership Contract Program are not required to submit the 50% deposit payment, but must sign and return the Acknowledgement Form. 4. Use the School Visit Checklist, included in the Confirmation Packet, to prepare for your visit. back to top |
