National Geographic Honors Newburgh Teacher

NEWBURGH – Ms. Christine McCartney, an English Language Arts teacher at Newburgh Free Academy, North Campus has been selected as one of this year’s Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellows in recognition of her commitment to geographic education. The 2018 Fellows, a group of 40 highly respected educators from the United States and Canada, will embark on global expeditions on board the Lindblad Expedition ships National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Endeavour ll and National Geographic Sea Lion for a hands-on experience for professional development.

This year marks the 12th year of the Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Program, established to honor former National Geographic Society Chairman Gilbert M. Grosvenor’s lifetime commitment to geographic education. The program began with two Fellows in 2007 and has grown each year. The expeditions 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 honor his service to the enhancement and advancement of geographic education.

Each year, pre-K–12 educators are encouraged to apply for this one-of-a-kind professional development opportunity. Fellows enhance their geographic learning through direct, hands-on field experience and bring that knowledge back to their classrooms and professional communities.

Starting later this year, the 2018 Fellows will begin their 10- to 17-day expeditions to locations including the Canadian High Arctic, Antarctica, Southeast Alaska, Arctic Svalbard, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Galápagos Islands. Accompanied by Lindblad-National Geographic expedition experts, ranging from undersea specialists to National Geographic photographers, the Fellows will experience landscapes, cultures and wildlife unique to their regions of exploration.

Before their voyages, the Fellows traveled to National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., where they participated in a multiday, hands-on, pre-expedition workshop covering everything from photography to outreach planning and had the opportunity to network with Lindblad Expeditions naturalists and past Fellows.

“Grosvenor Teacher Fellows are an integral part of National Geographic’s work to achieve a planet in balance,” said Mike Ulica, interim president and CEO of the National Geographic Society. “Educators like these Fellows ensure that students are equipped with geographic knowledge and global awareness, empowering the next generation to create solutions for a healthier and more sustainable future.”

“These are exemplary educators who play a vital role in shaping and inspiring the future stewards of our planet. We are committed to taking them to some of the world’s most remote and pristine places to help fuel their passion to share knowledge, and the world, with their students,” stated Sven Lindblad, CEO and president of Lindblad Expeditions.

Christine McCartney believes in the power of people working together for social and environmental justice and works alongside her amazing colleagues in Excelsior Academy to help Newburgh students be civically involved, acknowledge and address injustice, and enact positive change in the world. This fall, Christine will travel to the sub-Antarctic region through a Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship sponsored by National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions.

She will be collecting scientific data to help her students connect larger global systems to our local Hudson River watershed, as well as recording interviews to help students understand the power of narrative as a means to build empathy, which in turn can move people to environmental and social action.