Two Monroe Area High School teachers will get to spend some time this summer studying in the Galapagos Islands, courtesy of the Fund for Teachers.
According to Carrie Canton, Director of Communications for the Fund for Teachers, the two “exemplary” MAHS teachers, Dr. Kelly Whitaker and Sherry Grogan, received about $10,000 from the fund to collect data and capture 360 video in the Galapagos Islands.
From left: Dr. Kelley Whitaker and Sherry Grogan, Monroe Area High School teachers who will spend time this summer studying in the Galapagos Islands. Contributed photo
Fund for Teachers is an organization that establishes grants and fellowships for teachers to develop skills, knowledge and confidence in them that impact student achievement. By trusting teachers to design unique fellowships, Fund for Teachers offers grants that validate teachers’ professionalism and leadership skills. Since 2001, Fund for Teachers has invested $32 million in nearly 8,500 teachers, transforming grants into growth for students and their teachers.
“We will spend ten days in the Galapagos researching endemic animals and plants, collecting scientific data with wireless probes, and capturing 360 video for VR applications of natural phenomena found only in the Galapagos: the marine iguana-the only iguana who forages the ocean for food and the blue-footed booby-with his entertaining mating dance,” wrote the team in their grant proposal. “Our goal is to create a connected and engaging curriculum, removing students’ barriers to success by filling in teacher gaps in Biology content, working with partners to develop inquiry-based lessons and VR content, and by creating interest in Biology using VR and authentic stories.”
Whitaker and Grogan will leave on June 1 and are among the first of 494 Fund for Teachers Fellows to depart on self-designed fellowships this summer.
“Congratulations on having such exemplary educators in your community,” Canton said.
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