Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Society Announce 13th Annual Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship Class — Largest in Program’s History

45 Educators to Travel on Global Expeditions for Professional Development Experience of a Lifetime

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 5, 2019)—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):

  1. Lyanne Abreu, TERRA Environmental Research Institute, Miami, Florida
  2. Svea Anderson, Agua Caliente Elementary School, Tucson, Arizona
  3. Rachael Arens, Northwest High School, Omaha, Nebraska
  4. Sharee Barton, Madison Middle School, Rexburg, Idaho
  5. Ashlee Beckett, Jefferson Middle School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  6. Kelly Blais, David R. Cawley Middle School, Hooksett, New Hampshire
  7. Cindy Bloom, Comstock Middle School, Kalamazoo, Michigan
  8. Cara Bucciarelli, LaSalle II Magnet School, Chicago, Illinois
  9. Peter Cameron, St. Elizabeth School, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada
  10. Laura Chase, Woodrow Wilson High School, Washington, D.C.
  11. Tracy Crowley, Jack London Middle School, Wheeling, Illinois
  12. Claire Flynn, Long Island Children’s Museum, Mineola, New York
  13. Kevin S. Fox, The Geographical Imaginations Expedition & Institute, Newtown, Pennsylvania
  14. Stefanie Frump, Largo High School, St. Petersburg, Florida
  15. Allison Fuisz, Bell High School, Ottawa, ON, Canada
  16. Shane Heath, Northfield Middle High School, Northfield, Vermont
  17. Maeve Hitzenbuhler, Westboro Public Schools, South Grafton, Massachusetts
  18. Joya Holden, Keystone School, San Antonio, Texas
  19. Kerry Hynes, P.S. 176, Brooklyn, New York
  20. Leticia Guzman Ingram, Basalt High School, Basalt, Colorado
  21. Amanda Killough, Flower Mound High School, Flower Mound, Texas
  22. Erin Kowalevicz, Randolph Elementary School, Arlington, Virginia
  23. Abbey Kuhns, Gunnison Elementary School, Gunnison, Colorado
  24. Alisha Lindsey, Bradford K-8, Littleton, Colorado
  25. Jessica Lura, Bullis Charter School, Los Altos, California
  26. Lori Martin, Middle School Gifted Teacher in USD 500, Kansas City, Kansas
  27. Lynsey Montgomery, Johnson Elementary School, Mesa, Arizona
  28. Dave Ostheimer, Kathleen H. Wilbur Elementary School, Bear, Delaware
  29. Kerry Piper, Apex High School, Holly Springs, North Carolina
  30. Michael A. Pope, Zama Middle School, Zama, Japan
  31. Beth Quinones, Sycamore High School, Cincinnati, Ohio
  32. Jessica Rodarte, Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts, Los Angeles, California
  33. Addie Schafer, Loudoun County Public Schools, Ashburn, Virginia
  34. Blade Shepherd-Jones, Waimanalo Elementary & Intermediate School, Kailua, Hawaii
  35. Rick Sleeter, Eldorado High School, Albuquerque, New Mexico
  36. Ruth Smith, Hepburn School, Waldheim, SK, Canada
  37. Sean Smyth, The Study Academy, Toronto, ON, Canada
  38. Stacey Snyder, Orange and Lowell Elementary Schools, Waterloo, Iowa
  39. Alexandra Sorin, Toronto District School Board, Toronto, ON, Canada
  40. Melinda (Mindy) Steele, Cypress School District, Cypress, California
  41. Noreen Syed, Gill St. Bernard’s School, Gladstone, New Jersey
  42. Melissa Tracy, Odyssey Charter School, Wilmington, Delaware
  43. Jean Turney, The Biome School, St. Louis, Missouri
  44. Nicole Vickerman, Clark High School, Plano, Texas
  45. Jennie Warmouth, Spruce Elementary School, Lynnwood, Washington

Photos and biographies of the 2019 Fellows are available on the Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship website.

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-National Geographic 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.

About the National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate the wonder of the world, define critical challenges and catalyze action to protect our planet. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 14,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature convenings and content. To learn more, visit www.nationalgeographic.org, or follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

About Lindblad Expeditions

Lindblad Expeditions is an expedition travel company that works in alliance with the National Geographic Society to inspire people to explore and care about the planet. 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 and learn from leading scientists, naturalists and researchers while discovering stunning natural environments, above and below the sea, through state-of-the-art exploration tools. For more information, visit www.expeditions.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and LinkedIn.

NOTE: Interviews with Fellows and Lindblad-National Geographic representatives, high-res photographs and broadcast-quality b-roll are available upon request. 

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Contact: Patty Disken-Cahill, Lindblad Expeditions, 212-261-9081, [email protected]

Images:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d48zvl4f4bsyi8e/2019-GTF-Fellows.png?dl=0 Caption: The 13th group of Grosvenor Teacher Fellows at National Geographic Headquarters in Washington, D.C.https://www.dropbox.com/s/z6wnmj2gx3br6ha/AURA%20B%20%2820%29%20%281%29.jpg?dl=0 Caption: 2018 Grosvenor Teacher Fellows in Antarctica. (From L-R: Christine McCartney, Paula Huddy-Zubkowski, Jessi Parra). Photo by Michael Nolan

Dropbox link - Caption: 2018 Grosvenor Teacher Fellows in Antarctica. (From L-R: Christine McCartney, Paula Huddy-Zubkowski, Jessi Parra). Photo by Michael Nolan