James named Georgia Museum Educator of the Year

Warner Robins, GA, October 2, 2007 - Candi James, Guided Tour Coordinator for the Education Department at the Museum of Aviation has been chosen as the Georgia Museum Educator of the Year. She officially received the award on Friday September 28, 2007 at the Georgia Museum Educator's (GME) Association meeting in Roswell, Georgia and it will be announced again at the annual GME conference.
The Georgia Educator of the Year is a competitive and prestigious award established to recognize educators who make a substantial contribution to the field of Museum education in Georgia. Nominees are evaluated based on their individual contributions to increasing public and professional awareness about Museum education, and the impact of their institution on the community.

Candi runs the Museum's Guided Tour department and is also responsible for recruiting and training both volunteer and employed tour guides. She developed the Girl Scout Patriotism program and managed the Native American Heritage program. 'Our guided tour program has grown tremendously during the past four years that Candi has been with us' said Melissa Spalding, Director of Education 'she has given the program structure by correlating her lessons with the Georgia Performance Standards, and this gives the program credibility with the school systems looking for field trips that are educationally based.'

Over 48,000 students participate in the Museum's education programs each year. Guided Tours are history-based tours of the Museum's engaging and dynamic exhibits and aircraft. Tours are scheduled according to request and are available for students age 5 and up. To learn more about the Guided Tour program visit www.museumofaviation.org or contact the Education Department at 478-926-5558.

This release was provided to GDEcD by the Georgia Museum of Aviation.