ALEXANDRIA - Kristin Joivell took a two-week portion of the summer break from her job teaching kindergarten at Juniata Valley Elementary School in July to travel to the Bahamas.
She wasn't there for vacation, though. In fact, Joivell wasn't even on one of the island chain's top destinations for tourism.
She spent her two weeks on Inagua Island - the chain's southern-most island with a population of about 800 - where she worked as a volunteer with Earthwatch, the world's largest environmental nonprofit volunteer organization. The organization's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.
The purpose of Joivell's expedition, called Coastal Ecology of the Bahamas, was to conduct various experiments in an effort to find sustainable solutions to environmental challenges on the island, she said.
It was led by Dr. Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey, a professor of biology at the University of Miami, and included three lab assistants and nine teachers from around the world, including Joivell.
"During the days, we would do data collection, and then in the evenings we would do lab work to analyze what we had found, so our days were really full and there wasn't much time for recreation," Joivell said. "There wasn't much recreation around anyway because it's not one of those islands most people visit for vacation with Jet Ski rentals or anything like that."
Joivell helped gather fish, coral, and sponge counts, along with plant surveys and collecting water samples.
"Being on an expedition like that really kind of makes you look at sustainable and environmental practices in your own household and community," she said. "On an island where everything stays there, and trash isn't removed like it is here, everything you do has a direct impact that you can actually see."
Joivell said she was on the trip to work, and that her main motivation for applying for a fellowship to go was to find a way to provide an enriching learning experience that goes above and beyond the traditional curriculum for students at Juniata Valley. Her trip was paid for by an education-enhancement foundation called Northrop Grumman Foundation.
"On my way to Iguana Island, I remember wondering how I could relate what I was soon about to learn about coastal ecology to my local community," she wrote in a journal she kept during her trip, and added that a tropical island and eastern deciduous forest don't seem to have a lot in common. "But, I just kept telling myself that sustainable practices could be adapted and applied to any location."
Joivell came away from the trip with two educational ideas she plans to set in motion.
One is a community action project that will rely on volunteers to survey the diversity of life at the outdoor education center on the district's campus that consists of a wooded area with a field, river and a nearby pond. Joivell will compile the data gathered and create a nature guide for visitors to the center to use and will give each elementary classroom copies of the guide for use in lessons.
The other is an ecosystems lesson plan for Joivell's kindergarten class. The students will make observations and record written and photographic data about the various ecosystems found in the outdoor education center.
"We'll assess what's there and then compare and contrast the different ecosystems," Joivell said.
The district is very proud of Joivell's extra efforts, and Superintendent Jim Foster said he'd encourage any other teacher to participate in extracurricular programs to enhance the student's education.
"It takes a special person to sacrifice your summer for the cause, so to speak, and Kristin is dedicated to doing good things," Foster said. "She just goes another step and brings that additional piece that you wouldn't normally get."
Joivell, who did a three-week-long teacher at sea program last summer where she helped map the ocean floor in the water near the Alaskan Shumagin islands, said she'll continue looking for and taking advantage of opportunities that can enrich students' learning experiences.
"There are so many opportunities for teachers out there, there really are," she said.
