Rainbow Mountain Children’s School’s executive director, Renee Owen, has been chosen as one of ten “Educators of Excellence” in North Carolina to travel to Ecuador this summer with the Museum of Natural Science. The Educators of Excellence Institute programs are designed to give deserving educators an opportunity to learn about the ecology and natural history of other regions. Educators of Excellence Institutes are a learning opportunity for teachers who want to pass on to their students the ability to envision themselves as part of the global web of life.
Renee’s Ecuadoran adventure will be from June 18 – 26. She and her fellow educators will spend time at the Heifer International’s alpaca farm in the highlands of Ecuador, learning about Heifer’s innovative program to reduce poverty in the region. The group will have several days in different regions of Ecuador, learning its natural history. One location is the Isla de la Platas, which is home to many of the same wildlife as the Galapagos Islands. In Palmar, on the Southwestern coast of Ecuador, the group will be working in a rural school teaching classes and working with students and teachers. The team of teachers will meet again in Raleigh, in October, to purchase educational materials for the Ecuador school and design lessons for the 2013 “Educators in Excellence” team.
Congratulations, Renee, for this honor. We are excited for your adventure. If you would like to follow Renee’s trip through Ecuador, the group will be posting a daily blog at http://ecuadorinstitute.wordpress.com. Renee is looking forward to sharing lessons and information about Ecuador and Heifer International with families and students at Rainbow Mountain Children’s School both on the blog and when school starts back up in the fall.
