| On September 12, New Rochelle educators gathered at Five Islands for a hands-on marine ecology workshop led by Eco-Ambassador teachers Carmen Glenn and Jonathan La Rosa. The workshop gave educators direct experience with field-based activities they can use with students, including collecting and classifying marine organisms and kayaking in Echo Bay. The workshop was funded through New York Sea Grant and the Long Island Sound Partnership and held in collaboration with the Energy Justice Law & Policy Center and the New Rochelle Eco-Ambassadors. |
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| Participants and Community Partners at Five Islands Park |
For Glenn and La Rosa, both New Rochelle High School teachers who also lead the Eco-Ambassador program, the experience showed how much students can learn from the environment right here in New Rochelle. “One of the most valuable parts of the workshop was experiencing the Sound the way we want our students to experience it,” said Glenn. “We were outside, asking questions, collecting information, and seeing the ecosystem up close.” “Students do not have to travel far away to study ecology,” said La Rosa. “There is so much they can learn right here in New Rochelle. This workshop gave us practical ideas for bringing that kind of learning to our students.” The workshop builds on a model already underway through the New Rochelle Eco-Ambassadors, a six-week marine science summer learn-and-earn program for local high school students. Eco-Ambassadors regularly use Five Islands and the Long Island Sound as a living laboratory for hands-on learning. |
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| Brooklyn Public School teacher attending the workshop |
“Five Islands is a living laboratory for our Eco-Ambassadors,” said Raya Salter, Founder and Executive Director of EJLPC. “We want to build on that model. Training teachers and giving them the tools to use the shoreline with their students is a key part of making that possible.” This work is part of EJLPC’s broader effort to expand shoreline education at Five Islands and create more opportunities for students, educators, and families to learn directly from the Long Island Sound. It also advances the larger vision, supported by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, for a future Coastal Education & Resilience Center at the park. The Eco-Ambassadors are supported by the Long Island Community Impact Fund. |
Eco-Ambassador Teachers Bring Educators to Five Islands Park
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