When the students from the Tucson Unified School District stepped off the bus at the Tucson Botanical Gardens, they entered a world where botany meets art — and thanks to the nonprofit Act One, the field trip didn’t cost their school a dime.
“Teachers can sign up for our field trips. If they’re a Title I school, it’s completely free,” said Emanuel Class, field-trip operations manager at Act One. The organization assists qualifying schools — usually those with at least 40 % of students on free or reduced-price lunch — by covering admission and helping with transportation.
Since its inception, Act One has made tens of thousands of free field trips possible across Arizona, with its mission to “create and provide access to quality arts experiences enhancing the lives of Arizona’s children and families.”…