I am applying for the 2022 Pat Cooke Fund Fellowship to enhance my AP Environmental Science (APES) and Biology courses and pilot a scuba diving program through the  Wellness Department and Dorchester YMCA.    While my sustainability experiences supported by Cooke Fellowship in 2018 were centered in coral restoration in Utila, Honduras, uncertainty around safety and travel restriction presented by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic have compelled me to consider the unique opportunities presented by local environmental issues in New England and addressing the serious issue of access to outdoor spaces for Black and LatinX communities. In addition, a key component of this Cooke Fellowship is to increase student access to scuba diving and snorkeling, both activities that have substantially low racial diversity.  I have two goals for the Cooke Fellowship: (1) establish and strengthen educational partnerships with New England based organizations such as Holly Hill Farm, Greencrab.org, and Ocean'swide Traps2Treasure to create real world case studies in my science courses and (2) become certified as a professional scuba instructor  (Scuba Schools International (SSI)) with the long term goal of introducing scuba diving  and skin diving as part of a partnership between East Coast Divers, Codman Academy Wellness Program and the Dorchester YMCA Pool.

 

  I first joined the faculty in 2011 as the 10th grade Physics/HLI teacher and then switched positions to Grade 11-12 Science Teacher in 2012, where I taught Honors Chemistry and AP Biology.  In 2018, I switched roles from Honors Chemistry to Honors Biology 9 and will be switching from AP Biology to AP Environmental Science in the fall of 2019.   In the past 8 years, I have taken on a number of formal leadership responsibilities to support the faculty at Codman.   As Grade 11-12 Team Leader, I helped coordinate fieldwork scheduling, student support needs, and other grade team responsibilities during meetings.   Starting in 2015, I have also had the wonderful opportunity to become a Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) Mentor teacher with three student-teacher interns through the HGSE Teacher Education Program and two Harvard Teaching Fellows, where two of my interns were subsequently hired as full time science teachers upon completion of their graduate programs.

 

In the Fall of 2019, Codman Academy approved my request to change the senior science course from AP Biology to AP Environmental Science which has been an amazing opportunity to fully integrate environmental justice into my academic curriculum.  This year, I have partnered with Chetna Naimi, our liaison between Codman Health Center and Codman Academy,  to  improve Upper School outdoor gardens as well as installing indoor microgreens garden in a partnership with Green City Growers as well as multiple educational field trips to Holly Hill Farms.

           

 

General Timeline

July-August 2022

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Volunteer Diver for Traps2Treasure , Acadia, ME

 I will meet with this Gulf of Maine, non-profit organization and become trained to find and join volunteer dives to help remove "ghost" lobster traps, which are abandoned equipment.  If these traps are not removed, will continue to entrap and kill marine organisms.  In addition, these traps pollute the water as they rust. These recovered traps are then upcycled or safely disposed by the organization which saves money for local lobstermen.  I will document my work by interviewing both the founder of this organization, other volunteer divers, and lobstermen who benefit from this work.  

                       

            Holly Hill Farm:  Farm to Food Pantry Volunteer, Cohasset, MA

I will strengthen an existing partnership with a Holly Hill Farm by spending time as a volunteer farmer helping learn plant and harvest using the sustainable practices that are highlighted by this non-profit educational farm. 

 

Volunteer Diver Greencrab.org, Cape Ann, MA

I will adapt current invasive greencrab public outreach curriculum for a high school science setting.  I will also take part in citizen science data collection through local diving, interview local fishermen, and learn how to prepare dishes using green crab.

 

SSI Scuba Instructor Development Course, Brookline, MA

I will become certified as SSI Scuba instructor through classroom, pool training, and open water examination through East Coast Divers.  This level of certification will allow me to certify Codman Academy students and staff in both skin diving (snorkeling) and as certified Open Water Scuba divers.

 

July-August, 2022 and May-June, 2023, Newburyport, MA

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge: Invasive plant removal volunteer

Pepperweed is a destructive invasive plant species that is degrading local salt marshes in New England.  I will volunteer and help pull pepperweed from the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.  During this time, I will also interview the National Park Rangers leading this effort as well as other volunteers involved in this effort.

Teacher Professional Development and Student Curriculum

 

K-5 Codman Science PD

As a trained volunteer with extensive video and photographic resources, I would be able to help other K-5 Codman teachers as an internal guest educator speaker or help lead fieldwork for K-5 science expeditions on key issues of upcycling and managing local fisheries and marine environments, impact and mitigation of invasive plant  and crab species, and sustainable farming.  With partnerships developed by these experiences, I will also help coordinate invitations for various experts to come to our school through Zoom seminars or in-person lessons. 

 

K-12 Codman Academy - Holly Hill Farm: Farm To Pantry Educator

As a trained educator through my summer experience at Holly Hill Farm with Farmer Jon Belber, I would be working with farm educators to learn about their sustainable farming practices (composting, no till farming, greenhouse, and drip irrigation systems).  I would then be able to prepare K-12 Codman Academy teachers for pre-trip classroom activities,  all day fieldwork trip experiences, and post-trip classroom activities. 

 

Grade 9 Biology and Grade 12 AP Environmental Science Curriculum

Each of my experiences will allow me to ground existing curriculum for my own science courses into local experiences as a resident "expert for various local environmenal and sustainability issues.   As a Holly Hill Farm Educator, current expeditions linked to Sustainable Farming and Ecology units will be enhanced by this work.  A new expedition on human digestion unit will be created  linking harvesting of greencrab as an invasive species for the purpose of developing a culinary market. 

 

Codman Academy Community (Students, Families, and Faculty/Staff)

Scuba and Snorkel Certification Program - Codman Wellness YMCA Program

After instructor certification, my goal is to forge a partnership with East Coast Divers, Codman Academy Wellness Program, and Dorchester YMCA to introduce scuba diving  and skin diving in closed water (pool) for Codman Academy Students and Staff with the eventual goal of certifying students as Open Water Divers.    Those who experience the beauty of ocean environments through snorkeling and scuba diving become lifelong stewards of environmentalism.   In addition, the scuba diving industry has reported a problem in racial diversity in scuba diving.  My work would be able to develop new divers and provide access to a recreational sport for our greater Codman Academy community.