Nick Lee Bio

This is my first year at Codman Academy, where I am serving as the AP Environmental Science and AP

Computer Science teacher. Outside of these classes, I am also the Morehouse Crew Leader, advising

and building community among a small group of students in grades 9-12. Prior to this year, I worked at

the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School, teaching Applied Chemistry and General

Chemistry through the Harvard Teacher Fellows Program.

Given that my degree was in Social Studies and that most of my own science training was in the physical

sciences (chemistry and physics), teaching environmental science has been a new exploration for me

this year. However, I believe that having an understanding of environmental science is integral to

students’ abilities to navigate and change their world, especially given the growing impact that climate

change is having on our physical world and policy discussions. In teaching environmental science, I hope

to equip my students with the content and skills they will need to advocate for environmental justice in

their own communities.

During my time at Codman, I have worked to incorporate the school’s philosophy of “The City and the

World As Our Classroom” into my environmental science class through fieldwork experiences and

partnerships. Having attended the Shoals Marine Lab’s Marine Science for Teachers1 this past summer, I

worked to share my own professional learning with students through a study of the biodiversity in

Boston’s intertidal zone, collecting data for a Stone Living Lab2 citizen science project.

I’ve also worked to continue to build existing partnerships, planning a fieldwork at Holly Hill Farm3 where

students learned from farmers about sustainable agriculture. In preparation for this spring, I am

collaborating with my students’ Humanities teacher to plan a visit to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute to

explore the scientific and sociopolitical dynamics of the Green New Deal.4 I also aim to return to Holly Hill

Farm to continue to build students’ understanding of sustainable food production.