Program for fourth graders provides Academic Standards and Curriculum

INDIANAPOLIS (August 23, 2011) – 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 as the 500 Festival and Indianapolis 500® Education Program gears up for its ninth year. Last year nearly 24,000 Indiana fourth graders from 321 schools and 79 Indiana counties participated in the award-winning program. More than 154,000 have participated since its inception in 2004. Teachers can register their school’s fourth grade classrooms at www.500festival.com between now and December 1, 2011.

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.  This program is packed with information including an Indiana Academic Standard based curriculum, teacher materials, a video and the unique opportunity for an educational Study Trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway® in April or May. Students will receive a study book and additional reading materials. This program is free to all schools in the state of Indiana. 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.

During the Study Trip, students apply lessons learned in the classroom with on-site programming and experiences designed to further educate them on the significance of the 500 Festival and Indianapolis 500’s® heritage and place in Indiana’s history. The program is only offered to students in the fourth grade as this is the year students learn Indiana history.

The 500 Festival and Indianapolis 500® Education Program is sponsored by the 500 Festival, the 500 Festival Foundation, Indianapolis Motor Speedway®, BKD, LLP, the American Dairy Association of Indiana, AAA Hoosier Motor Club, IZOD IndyCar Series® and the Hoosier Family Foundation.

Deadline for educators to enroll their fourth-grade classrooms in the program is December 1, 2011.  Registration is available online at www.500festival.com. For more information, call (317) 614-6129.

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The mission of the 500 Festival is to produce events and programs that celebrate the success of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race and enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Indiana and their guests. These events and programs, produced largely by volunteers, enhance the image of our city and state by showcasing our cultural, educational and social benefits to the world.

The 500 Festival, a not-for-profit volunteer organization, was created in 1957 to organize civic events celebrating the greatest race in the world. Over the past 55 years, the 500 Festival has grown to become one of the largest festivals in the nation.

Last year, more than 500,000 Hoosiers and visitors participated in nearly 50 events and programs throughout the month of May. Whether they were athletes running the Mini, fourth grade students participating in the Education Program, families enjoying the state’s largest festival for kids or spectators being dazzled by one of the nation’s premier parades, they were there, celebrating the legacy.