Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Society Announce 13th Annual Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship Class — Largest in Program’s History
In recognition of their commitment to geographic education, 45 highly respected educators have been selected as the 13th group of Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellows.
The 2019 Fellows will embark on expeditions to locations including the High Arctic, Alaska, Central America, Antarctica and the Galápagos Islands on board Lindblad Expedition ships to enhance their geographic knowledge with hands-on, field-based experiences that they will bring back to their pre-K–12 classrooms, communities and professional networks.
The Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship is named in honor of Gilbert M. Grosvenor, chairman emeritus of the National Geographic Society, in recognition of his decades-long work supporting pre-K–12 teachers and promoting geography education across the United States and Canada. The expeditions were donated in perpetuity to the Society by Sven-Olof Lindblad and Lindblad Expeditions in 2006 to mark Grosvenor’s 75th birthday and honor his service to the enhancement and advancement of geographic education.
The 2019 class of Grosvenor Teacher Fellows is the largest ever selected in the program’s 13-year history. This diverse group of formal and informal educators, representing an array of grade levels and subject areas including social studies, STEM, second-language programs and art, are from across the United States and Canada as well as a U.S. Department of Defense Activity School in Japan.
“We are immensely proud to support Grosvenor Teacher Fellows — extraordinary individuals who share our passion and commitment to inspiring the next generation of planetary stewards,” said National Geographic Society Executive Vice President and Chief Education Officer Vicki Phillips. “At the Society, we’re dedicated to providing educators with unparalleled resources and transformative experiences so they can advance students’ understanding of the world and empower them to generate solutions for a more sustainable future.”
The Fellowship is open to pre-K–12 educators. Eligible applicants first had to complete National Geographic Educator Certification, a no-cost professional development program for educators committed to inspiring the next generation of scientists, explorers, educators and storytellers. Certified educators are also given access to exclusive National Geographic student programs, classroom resources and other professional development opportunities.
“When this program launched in 2006 as a tribute to Gil Grosvenor, we had high hopes for it. We are thrilled that it has evolved to support 265 Fellows over the course of the program’s history. These exemplary educators are vital to educating and inspiring the future stewards of our planet, and our mission remains to provide them impactful experiences in the world’s remote places to stimulate their knowledge and passion to help shape their students,” said Sven Lindblad, CEO & President, Lindblad Expeditions.
The 2019 Grosvenor Teacher Fellows are (in alphabetical order):
Lyanne Abreu, TERRA Environmental Research Institute, Miami, Florida
Svea Anderson, Agua Caliente Elementary School, Tucson, Arizona
Rachael Arens, Northwest High School, Omaha, Nebraska
Sharee Barton, Madison Middle School, Rexburg, Idaho
Ashlee Beckett, Jefferson Middle School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Kelly Blais, David R. Cawley Middle School, Hooksett, New Hampshire
Cindy Bloom, Comstock Middle School, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Cara Bucciarelli, LaSalle II Magnet School, Chicago, Illinois
Peter Cameron, St. Elizabeth School, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada
Laura Chase, Woodrow Wilson High School, Washington, D.C.
Tracy Crowley, Jack London Middle School, Wheeling, Illinois
Claire Flynn, Long Island Children’s Museum, Mineola, New York
Kevin S. Fox, The Geographical Imaginations Expedition & Institute, Newtown, Pennsylvania
Stefanie Frump, Largo High School, St. Petersburg, Florida
Allison Fuisz, Bell High School, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Shane Heath, Northfield Middle High School, Northfield, Vermont
Maeve Hitzenbuhler, Westboro Public Schools, South Grafton, Massachusetts
Joya Holden, Keystone School, San Antonio, Texas
Kerry Hynes, P.S. 176, Brooklyn, New York
Leticia Guzman Ingram, Basalt High School, Basalt, Colorado
Amanda Killough, Flower Mound High School, Flower Mound, Texas
Erin Kowalevicz, Randolph Elementary School, Arlington, Virginia
Abbey Kuhns, Gunnison Elementary School, Gunnison, Colorado
Alisha Lindsey, Bradford K-8, Littleton, Colorado
Jessica Lura, Bullis Charter School, Los Altos, California
Lori Martin, Middle School Gifted Teacher in USD 500, Kansas City, Kansas
Lynsey Montgomery, Johnson Elementary School, Mesa, Arizona
Dave Ostheimer, Kathleen H. Wilbur Elementary School, Bear, Delaware
Kerry Piper, Apex High School, Holly Springs, North Carolina
Michael A. Pope, Zama Middle School, Zama, Japan
Beth Quinones, Sycamore High School, Cincinnati, Ohio
Jessica Rodarte, Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts, Los Angeles, California
Addie Schafer, Loudoun County Public Schools, Ashburn, Virginia
Blade Shepherd-Jones, Waimanalo Elementary & Intermediate School, Kailua, Hawaii
Rick Sleeter, Eldorado High School, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Ruth Smith, Hepburn School, Waldheim, SK, Canada
Sean Smyth, The Study Academy, Toronto, ON, Canada
Stacey Snyder, Orange and Lowell Elementary Schools, Waterloo, Iowa
Alexandra Sorin, Toronto District School Board, Toronto, ON, Canada
Melinda (Mindy) Steele, Cypress School District, Cypress, California
Noreen Syed, Gill St. Bernard’s School, Gladstone, New Jersey
Melissa Tracy, Odyssey Charter School, Wilmington, Delaware
Jean Turney, The Biome School, St. Louis, Missouri
Nicole Vickerman, Clark High School, Plano, Texas
Jennie Warmouth, Spruce Elementary School, Lynnwood, Washington
Starting later this year, the 2019 Fellows will begin their 10- to 23-day expeditions on Lindblad Expedition ships National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Endeavour II, National Geographic Orion and National Geographic Quest to locations across the globe. The Fellows will experience landscapes, cultures and wildlife unique to their regions of exploration. They will be accompanied by Lindblad expedition experts, including undersea specialists and National Geographic photographers.
To prepare for their voyages, the new class of Fellows is currently participating in a multiday, hands-on, pre-expedition workshop at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., where they are learning a range of skills from photography and video editing to outreach planning and public speaking. Lindblad Expeditions’ staff and naturalists as well as past Fellows also participate in the workshop, serving as mentors to the new class now and when the new Fellows return to their classrooms and communities after their expeditions. Fellows agree to a two-year commitment when they are accepted to the program, serving as program ambassadors before, during and after their expeditions.
