Justin Kaput from Suffield High School has been selected as one of this year’s Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellows in recognition of his commitment to geographic education. The 2018 Fellows, a group of 40 highly respected educators from the USA and Canada, will embark on global expeditions on board various Lindblad Expedition and National Geographic ships for a hands-on professional development experience.
This year marks the 12th year of the Grosvenor Program, established to honor former National Geographic Society (NGS) 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 by Sven-Olof Lindblad and Lindblad Expeditions to mark Grosvenor’s 75th birthday in 2006 and honor his service to the enhancement 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 10–17 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 NGS headquarters in Washington, D.C., where they participated in a multiday, hands-on workshop covering everything from photography to outreach planning and had the opportunity to network with 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 NGS. “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.
Justin Kaput’s bio and photo are available on the Grosvenor Teacher Fellows website. Kaput has a passion for ecology and has been instrumental in developing and teaching project-based environmental science courses. Kaput also started and serves as an advisor to the SHS Earth and Outing Club. The Club was awarded Eversource’s $20,000 Live Green, Win Green prize for environmental improvements on the SHS campus. He is a curriculum developer for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and has facilitated the instructional transition within his department.
Kaput says, “This expedition to the Antarctic will provide a lasting and transformative experience for my students, my school…and my community. It is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I’m really looking forward to learning and sharing everything this Fellowship has to offer.”
The National Geographic Society is a leading nonprofit that invests in bold people and transformative ideas in the fields of exploration, scientific research, storytelling and education. The Society aspires to create a community of change, advancing key insights about the planet and probing some of the most pressing scientific questions of our time.Its goal is to further exploration and educate people around the world to inspire solutions for the greater good.
Lindblad Expeditions is an expedition travel company that works in alliance with the NGS to inspire people to explore and care about the planet. 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.