School Tour General Information
The Winston Churchill Memorial and Library tells the story of a hero who led the free world's fight for freedom, from his privileged youth as the son of a British aristocrat to the darkest days of war. The Memorial provides a chronicle of the life of one of the world's most memorable political leaders. It also serves as a venue for special artistic and historical exhibits, as well as a variety of social and cultural events. The Memorial’s new education program, based on the Missouri state curriculum standards, focuses on providing students of all ages lifelong learning opportunities based upon Churchill’s life experiences. The self-guided, interactive exhibit engages students at the Memorial while the fun, team-building lessons engage students in the classroom.
Reservations
To make reservations, fill out our online reservation form or contact the Education
Coordinator at (573) 592-6242 or by e-mail. Please make reservations at least two
weeks in advance for the best selection of dates/times.
Upon receipt of your school group reservation request, you will receive a confirmation letter or e-mail, along with an Exploring Churchill and His Century CD (if requested) and a brochure. For reservations that include any kind of special requests, additional correspondence will take place.
Scheduling
We try to schedule school group tours Monday-Friday, 10am-4:30pm, during our regularly
scheduled hours. If these hours do not work for you and your school, we are flexible.
When filling out the online form, just enter the ideal time for you. If there is
a problem on our end, the Education Coordinator will contact you directly. Note:
To get the full experience, please allow a 1 ½ to 2 hour visit. However, minimum
time needed in the museum is roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Again, please try to make reservations at least two weeks in advance. There is no maximum number of students allowed. If the group is over 20, we will split them up into teams for easier transition in the exhibit area.
Admission Fees
| Admission is as follows: | Children (ages 5 and under): Free |
| Children (ages 6-12): $3.00 | |
| Children (13-18): $4.00 |
Beginning January 2009, we will start charging Fulton School District students admission into the museum. Students will receive a discounted admission rate of $2.00. This is due in part to increasing costs and the new education program. The money that comes in from these schools will help fund the education programming. Chaperones, teachers, and bus drivers will still receive free admission. We prefer a 1:15 (teacher/chaperone to student) ratio. Payment is due upon arrival to the museum.
Chaperone Requirements
The Churchill Memorial requires one adult chaperone/teacher per every 15 students. If the group is larger than 20, students will be divided up into smaller groups for the tour and chaperones must remain with the groups at all times. It is the responsibility of the chaperones to maintain orderly student behavior.
Parking
Bus parking is available directly next to the Memorial (7th and Westminster). It
is on a first come, first served basis. Other free parking is available along 7th
Street and along Westminster Ave.
Lunch Options
The Memorial offers three lunch options for school groups.
- Box lunches: $6.25 Includes a sandwich, chips, cookie, and drink
- Dining Hall: $5.00 Served from 11am-1pm, come experience college life in Westminster’s dining hall.
- Sack lunches: Free Bring your own lunches and eat outside in the courtyard or by “Breakthrough”, a sculpture created from the Berlin Wall.
The Memorial and Fresh Ideas require at least a two-week notice for lunches. For
more information, please contact the Education Coordinator at (573) 592-6242.
Lesson Plans
Teachers, please visit our Education Curricula section for lesson plans
to use prior to bringing your students to the Memorial.
Clementine Spencer-Churchill Reading Room
The Clementine Reading Room houses the Memorial’s book collection and part
of the archive collection. The book collection is one of the most comprehensive
collections of books by and about Winston S. Churchill in the United States. The
Clementine Reading Room is a multi-purpose space – students and researchers from
around the world have made use of the collection. Another use of the room is as
a space for meetings and classes.
For more information on Churchill resources and our Archives collection, please visit Churchill Resources on our website and/or contact the Curator/Archivist at (573) 592-6245.
If you would like to reserve the Clementine Reading Room for a special interest class, please call (573) 592-5234 for availability. The maximum number of people the room will comfortably hold is 12. We also would like to limit classes that can use the room to those in 6th – 12th grade.
The following rules apply:
- Look but don’t take. The WCML is not a lending library. Books may be used in the Clementine Reading Room only, unless special arrangements are made and approved by the Executive Director. If you remove a book from the shelves (and we encourage you to do so), please do not reshelf it. Leave it on a table and the staff will take care of it later.
- Don’t eat or drink in the Clementine Reading Room. Food and beverages are not permitted.
- The Memorial is open to the public. Please be courteous to visitors on your way to and from class.
- Please be kind to the furniture. Keep objects off the tables that may scratch or mar them. Be mindful of the fragility of the chairs. Do not write directly on the surface of the tables. Use a notebook or pad.
- The reading room is a working space. You will occasionally notice boxes of photographs or documents and other seemingly incongruous items (charts, etc). Please do not disturb these things.
- Leave the lights alone. Much of the lighting in the room is old and fragile. Please do not try to adjust any lights.
Photography, Restrooms, and other Miscellaneous Information:
Photography: Flash photography is not allowed in the exhibit space. Flash photography is allowed upstairs in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury.
Restrooms: Public restrooms are available.
Gift Shop: We welcome students in our Gift Shop as long as they are under supervision. Hours are same as Memorial, 10am-4:30pm.
Food & Drink: No food or drink, including gum, candy, or bottled water, allowed in the Memorial. Please see Lunch Options if you want to eat lunch on site. It is the responsibility of the school group to remove any trash from the grounds. Please use the proper trash receptacles.
Please discuss with students proper behavior for attending the Memorial.