COLLIER COUNTY - On Friday, May 21, more than 3,300 fourth-grade students across 31 Collier County Public Schools (CCPS) elementary schools will take a virtual, historic tour through the oldest standing house in Naples. This partnership with the Naples Historical Society is just one more example of how CCPS has adjusted learning experiences during COVID-19 to expand access to all.

As students embark on this unique journey, they’ll learn what it was like for a person their age to visit Historic Palm Cottage at the turn of the 19th century! “If you came to Naples back in the late 1800s, you would likely have been staying in Historic Palm Cottage or at the Old Naples Hotel, built in 1889,” shares John Telischak, Education Manager for the Naples Historical Society and one of the hosts of the virtual field trip.

During the virtual event, students will receive a history lesson in alignment with the Florida Standards for fourth-grade social studies, learn about the early developers of Collier County, and hear unique facts about current landmarks. For example, did you know that the Naples Pier was the only way into Naples until the 1920s? There were no roads and no airport; you had to arrive by boat. And during this time the hotel had to put up signs saying, “Please Don’t Throw Your Fish on the Dancefloor!” The reason why will be explained during the field trip.

“Naples, like our country, has been shaped by people from lots of places—people born here, people from throughout the United States, and people from around the world,” adds Mikie Stroh, Coordinator of K-12 Social Studies, JROTC, and Character Education for CCPS. Stroh and Telischak will lead students virtually through the property and answer student questions live from Palm Cottage.

Join along with the fourth-grade audience as they uncover these enlightening lessons during the Pupils at Historic Palm Cottage Virtual Tour:

WHEN: Friday, May 21, 2021, at 9:00 a.m.