A FOSSIL COLLECTION WAS DONATED TO OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. NOW WHAT?

The Franklin County Public School system in North Carolina inherited a sizable fossil collection from an avocational paleontologist with the expectation that it will be used for education purposes. Much of the collection was well documented by the donor in terms of fossil identification, location, and approximate geologic age. The donor also practiced ethical fossil collecting at both private and public locations. Integrating this collection into meaningful education materials has been challenging due to the fragility of many specimens, partial nature of most specimens, variable ages and locations, and absence of geologic formation context. Our focus is on utilizing this collection as a district-wide, multi-year resource aligned to the North Carolina Essential Standards for Earth History and Evolution & Genetics in the 8^th grade science curriculum and Matter: Properties and Change in the 4^th grade science curriculum. As a first step, an ESRI Story Map was developed for famous fossil sites visited by the donor to engage student interest in paleontology and to provide background on the donor, his passion for paleontology, and ethical fossil collecting. Traveling trunks are being assembled for use in 4^th and 8^th grade science classes across the district. Content of the trunks will include donated fossil samples, 3D replicas of selected fossils, lesson plans and materials aligned with the science curricula and ethics. We will also present recommendations for geologists and collectors who may be considering similar donations for education.