High Honor for Hands On History

By: Heather Ford

Community Writer

Photo Courtesy of:

Heather Ford

Photo Description:

Participants from the Mission Inn Foundation’s youth education outreach program, Hands On History, learn at the Jensen Alvarado Ranch in Jurupa Valley, California.

MORENO VALLEY>> California Association of Museums announced that the Mission Inn Foundation’s youth education outreach program, Hands On History, will be a recipient of the 2017 Superintendent’s Award of Excellence in Museum Education. CAM, in joint efforts with the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, endorsed the project to showcase museums that have made consequential contributions to California’s K-12 educational system. The recipients will be announced at the 2017 CAM Conference in concurrence with the CAM Annual Luncheon held Thursday, Mar. 30, at the Embassy Suites in Sacramento, California. The Curator of Education for HOH, Kanani Hoopai, expressed her delight upon receiving the news of the prestigious award. “The Mission Inn Foundation is incredibly honored to have our youth education program recognized," Hoopai said. "We are grateful for the opportunity to serve local students, providing hands on opportunities to learn, experience, and engage with Riverside's unique history and contemporary community.” CAM received 20 entries for the 2017 Superintendent’s award, but only six institutions were awarded. The Mission Inn Foundation's website states the program aims to engage students of all ages throughout Riverside in the history of their city and the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa with interactive, activity-based and peer-to-peer learning opportunities that incorporate California Common Core Curriculum Standards using primary source documents.