All About Antarctica: Retired CPPHS Teacher Gives Elementary Students Firsthand Account
It was a unique opportunity for elementary students to learn about Antarctica from someone who spent time studying there. Retired CPPHS teacher Ms. Michele Cross made a visit to Erwin Valley Elementary School recently to talk about her 2009 visit to the continent that not many have ever seen in-person. Her trip was part of the PolarTREC teacher program. The goal of this program is to bring educators and researchers together to create unique professional development opportunities for educators and to inspire their students. As stated on the program’s website, it was created by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States. It has enabled educators to work closely with scientists, participate in fieldwork and data collection, and share their experiences with their students and the broader public. It is stated that PolarTREC has significantly impacted science education throughout the United States, transforming how STEM subjects are taught.
Ms. Cross is someone who has firsthand knowledge of what it is like to live and conduct research in Antarctica and she can bring that experience to our classroom. During her presentation at Erwin Valley, she conveyed to the students about the preparation and supplies needed for such a trip. Aside from the multi-layered clothing she wore while there, she went through six pairs of gloves per day due to the gloves getting wet when she helped divers who were exploring sea ice. She said, “When it was warm, which for us was above 28 degrees, I rolled up my pants to make shorts and wore short sleeves!” She said, “I wore lighter weight clothing because at that temperature it was considered warm there.”
One of the main aspects of her work there was to support science missions to explore and study the environment under the ice. “We used a remotely operated vehicle to do that, and generally spent 12 to 14 hours a day working in a variety of weather conditions.”
One of the main questions she got from students was, “Could you touch the penguins?” She said you could not and that was a strictly enforced rule there.
Thank you Ms. Cross for sharing your experience with our Erwin Valley students!
Learn more about PolarTREC here: https://www.polartrec.com/
Photo above, 2009
Ms. Cross with an EV student who dressed as a penguin for her presentation!