Big Yellow Bus will roll Iowa roads again

The Iowa Arts Council has secured a second year of funding for a program that offers 200 Iowa schools money for arts-based field trips. The grants are named for the vehicle which transports many kids to the art museums, theatres, dance performances and symphonies. The Big Yellow School Bus grants give any Iowa school, pre-K through 12, public or private, 200-dollars to use for field trips. Iowa Cultural Affairs spokeswoman Sarah Oltrogge says it has to be for a trip that has something to do with art. The money comes from the National Endowment for the Arts. Oltrogge says the program was created last year to restore field trips to Iowa schools that had cut the trips when cutting their budgets. She says taking field trips are a fun and educational bonus for kids that shouldn’t be missed. Grant guidelines and application forms are available on the Iowa Arts Council’s Web site at www.culturalaffairs.org/iac/grants/bigyellowbus.htm