FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MEDIA CONTACT:
Chandra Teitscheid National Geographic Society (202) 828‐6678 [email protected]
Patty Disken‐Cahill Lindblad Expeditions 212‐261‐9081 [email protected]
WASHINGTON , DC, June 16, 2010—Six visionary educators are this year’s recipients of the fourth annual Grosvenor Teacher Fellowships, established to honor National Geographic Society Chairman Gilbert M. Grosvenor’s lifetime commitment to geographic education.
The fellowships are awarded to teachers who demonstrate excellence in geography education. They were donated in perpetuity to the National Geographic Society by Sven‐Olof Lindblad and Lindblad Expeditions to mark Grosvenor’s 75th birthday in 2006 and to honor his service in enhancing and improving geographic education across the United States.
The 2010 Fellows:
- Julie Costello, a 6th‐grade social studies/language arts teacher from Carl Ben Eielson Middle School in Fargo, N.D., is the architect of a program responsible for 1,000 girls in Sudan re‐registering for school.
- Sara Hemenway, a 6th‐grade world cultures teacher from Hutto Middle School in Hutto, Texas, was the only non‐science teacher selected for the Texas Space Grand Consortium’s 2009 Reduced Gravity Flight.
- Lynn Howard, a 1st‐ through 6th‐grade environmental sciences teacher at Encanto Elementary in San Diego, is an inner‐city educator whose passion and advocacy has spawned an outdoor teaching “lab” that is inspiring the next generation.
- Eloise Portera is a K through 3rd‐grade teacher and director and creator of Kidzeum Museum at Grenada Elementary School in Grenada, Miss. This is the first in‐school children’s museum in the United States.
- Daniel Snare, an 11th‐ and 12th‐grade science and technology teacher at Warren Tech in Lakewood, Colo, is a scientist dedicated to the teaching of science and geography, connecting them through tourism, culinary arts and multimedia programs.
- Kevin Suess, a 9th‐, 11th‐ and 12th‐grade teacher at Normal Community High School, in Normal, Ill., literally brings the world into his classroom. He next plans to videoconference with children in the Arctic to teach his students about climate change and how their actions impact life around the globe.
The Fellows will travel this summer on an in‐depth exploration of Arctic Svalbard aboard the National Geographic Explorer. Their journey will take them within some 600 miles of the North Pole, where they will experience the legendary midnight sun set against the strikingly beautiful wilderness of towering glaciers, wild polar bears, walruses and some of the largest whales on Earth. And with the benefit of the unparalleled expertise of their Lindblad‐National Geographic expedition team, the Fellows will return with a wealth of knowledge to educate and inspire their students as well as share with professional colleagues at conferences.
“This program recognizes outstanding teachers who are dedicated to improving geographic literacy in our classrooms and encouraging children to become responsible caretakers of our planet,” said Sven‐Olof Lindblad, founder of Lindblad Expeditions. “We are delighted that these outstanding educators who are so strongly committed to hands‐on geographic education will journey to the Arctic Svalbard with us.”
“The partnership with Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic is an ideal fit of our two missions,” said Gil Grosvenor. “We believe in the value of educational travel, and Lindblad’s programs are the best. Teachers who are awarded these fellowships will have experiences they will never forget.”
To learn more about this opportunity and watch video of Grosvenor Fellows from previous years, visit https://www.expeditions.com/why-us/Grosvenor-Fellows/. To become more involved in geographic education, contact your State Geographic Alliance at http://www.ngsednet.org/community/about.cfm?community_id=94.
Interviews with this year’s winning teachers, photos, and Arctic b‐roll packages are available.
Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic
Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic have joined in a mission‐driven alliance to inspire people to explore and care about the planet. As pioneers of global exploration, the organizations work in tandem to produce innovative marine expedition programs and to promote conservation and sustainable tourism around the world. The partnership’s educationally oriented voyages allow guests to interact with leading scientists, naturalists and researchers while discovering stunning natural environments, above and below the sea, through state‐of‐the‐art exploration tools. A joint philanthropic fund that supports science and conservation groups enables better understanding of the world’s remaining special places and fosters the dissemination of geographic knowledge around the globe.
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