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School District Collaboration

young people look at an artwork inside a galleryyoung people look at an artwork inside a gallery

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Are you a school district coordinator who wants to make our collections part of your curriculum? 

Let’s collaborate. With our long-term, buildable collaborative district program, you can establish consistent grade-level and subject-specific visits to make The Huntington a part of your school district’s curriculum.

Expectations

  • As a collaborator, you will establish a formal multi-year collaborative district program between your district and The Huntington based on existing digital resources and school programs. Bus reimbursement for visits is available.
  • Collaborative district programs must maintain a consistent grade-level and subject-specific focus.
  • You will attend a yearly meeting with the School Programs and Partnerships Manager to assess the collaborative district program’s effectiveness.
  • Collaborative district programs last a minimum of one pilot year and can serve 300 students max during that period. School visit dates must be determined by July 2025 for the 2025-26 school year.

Benefits

  • Priority registration for school programs.
  • Bus reimbursement.
  • Students who join a school program receive a pass to visit The Huntington with their family for free.
  • Potential to co-design school programs and curricula to meet your district’s needs.

Qualifications

You are a school district coordinator who is:

  • Eager to establish a consistent and formal collaborative district program between your district and The Huntington based on existing digital resources and school programs for at least one pilot year.
  • Committed to diversity, equity, access, and inclusion.
  • Available to work together on the collaborative program’s goals to assess and improve its design and effectiveness.
A group of young people sit on the floor, in front of a painting of a landscape, in a museum.
Docent talking to students in gallery.
A group of people sit on the floor, in front of a painting of a landscape, in a dimly lit room.

A docent leads a close looking activity with View on the Stour near Deadham by John Constable. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

A docent interacts with students in a gallery. Photo by Tessa Tweet. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Students interact with Chimborazo by Frederic Edwin Church. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Examples of co-designed programs with current district collaborators:

Pasadena Unified School District: My Masterpieces

In this interactive, inquiry-based program, Pasadena Unified School District students in grades K–6 visit different local cultural institutions each year to discover how to connect with art. After participating in a co-designed classroom lesson, all first graders from the district visit The Huntington to explore how artists tell stories through different kinds of art, including oil paintings, ceramics, bronze sculptures, and more.

Pasadena Unified School District: Plant Needs and Plant Adaptations Docent-Guided Tour

As a part of the Pasadena Unified School District Farm to School initiative, this program provides outdoor education through guided visits to our gardens. Every third grader from the district visits The Huntington to experience what plants need to grow. Then, in fourth grade, they return to compare the adaptations of plants from extreme climates. Both programs include standard-aligned digital classroom resources about plant needs and adaptations for educators to extend the learning into the classroom.

Monrovia Unified School District: Monrovia Days Arts Initiative

This partnership helps bring arts education to life for Monrovia Unified School District elementary school students. Each year, four classes from two elementary schools visit The Huntington to participate in our Nature and Art docent-guided tour program. After the tour, the district arts coordinator leads students in a classroom art activity tied to the program theme.

San Marino Unified School District: High School Honors and Humanities Seminar

This award-winning seminar is available for high school juniors and seniors. Students in this course visit The Huntington every other week to explore the library, art, and botanical collections and connect what they learn to their art and English studies back in the classroom. At the end of the program, The Huntington showcases their visual art and written assignments inspired by their visits. 

Interested in collaborating with us? Please send an email to our School Programs & Partnerships Manager at sthomas@huntington.org.

Please note that collaborative district programs must be coordinated through your district office. Individual schools or educators may register for our regular school programs and educator professional development opportunities.