HSP Teacher Returns from International Fellowship

Out of hundreds of applications and a rigorous application process, Karen Jimenez of Holy Spirit Preparatory School was selected by the non-profit organization Ecology Project International (EPI) to participate in an 8-day Teacher Fellowship in Costa Rica from April 20-27, 2018. EPI is a field science and conservation organization that partners scientists with local and international students and educators in ecologically critical environments in Costa Rica, Ecuador and the Galapagos, Baja Mexico, Yellowstone, Hawaii, and Belize.

Since 2000, EPI has worked with more than 10,500 students at their field sites in Costa Rica, many of whom were local Costa Rican students. During the Fellowship, Jimenez and a small group of carefully selected U.S. and international teachers traveled to the Caribbean coast to experience the program for themselves. "The takeaway was two-fold," said Jimenez. "Not only was I able to spend time in beautiful nature doing good science out in the field, but I was also in an environment of educators who all had the same goal in mind of bringing this good science back to their classrooms."

On this year’s 6th annual Fellowship, Jimenez participated in a modified version of EPI’s Sea Turtle Ecology Program. She was immersed in Costa Rica’s diverse ecology and spent four days at Pacuare Reserve, a leatherback sea turtle preserve and three days at Tirimbina, a rainforest preserve, all while learning about education in the field and how it can be used to enrich every classroom. The group also met with Costa Rican teachers and students for a day of cultural exchange.