Svalbard and beyond!

So far, we have seen a Polar Bear, Walruses , bearded seal, a whale, and lots of different birds. Glacier, Sea Ice and so much more. The sun never sets so we stay awake looking for animals and are too excited to sleep. 

We became the first group to ever kayak the Arctic Oceam above the 80 degree N Latitude line. The air is fresh, there is no noise, just peaceful surroundings. 

Our Navigation Officer

One of the many interesting people I met on my expedition to Svalbard was our navigation officer Efrem Ghirmai. This guy is amazing (and not just because he let me steer the expedition ship!). He is a Sweden national but because both of his parents are Eritrean he was able to represent the African nation as an Olympian in the summer Olympics last year. He was the first swimmer to carry the flag for Eritrea.  He is using his sponsorship with Speedo to head back to Eritrea and teach swimming lessons to the children there as many of them do not how to swim. He also told me he visited Tuscaloosa and considered going to college here and offered to chat with my students later in the school year. I can’t wait for the students to hear his inspirational story! 

Kayaking and Hiking the Arctic

 The last few days we have seen a Polar Bear, Arctic Fox, Walrus, Bearded Seal, Whales, and much more! 

We were the first people to kayak above the 80 degree north line in the Arctic Ocean. I am soaking up every learning opportunity and cannot fully process everything yet.. but I will soon. 

Oslo, Norway

 We are spending the night in Oslo, Norway before we take our flights to Svalbard early in the morning. We have been up for 30+ hours now and still managed to explore around town before dinner 💛 I have enjoyed spending time with these amazing educators and I am looking forward to our adventures!

I am heading to the Arctic!

 It is official! I will be heading to the high Arctic of Svalbard next weekend as a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow with National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions. I will be writing a blog daily but due to the remote location of Svalbard, I may not be able to upload them each day.

Thank you for following along on my journey! I cannot wait to bring this experience back to the classroom.

All the best,

Jaclyn 

https://patch.com/alabama/tuscaloosa/tuscaloosa-academy-teacher-earns-fellowship-trip-arctic

Thanks for the support!

The outpouring of support and encouragement from everyone over the announcement of my selection as a 2021 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow has been humbling. Thank you. I look forward to announcing which expedition I have been selected for! Stay tuned. 

https://tuscaloosathread.com/tuscaloosa-academy-teacher-wins-national-geographic-fellowship/

Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship

2021 Grosvenor Teacher Announcement! Words cannot describe how excited and honored I am to be named a 2021 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow with National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions! I will use this blog to post updates on my journey as a fellow and share my experiences with others. I hope you will join along with me!