Under the moonlight on a quiet Caribbean beach, two Duval County teachers helped release more than 200 leatherback sea turtle hatchlings into the ocean, an experience that would soon shape the way their students learn science back home.
Through the Cindy Edelman Excellence in Teaching Fellowship, Alexandra Hall and Stephanie White, teachers at River City Science Academy Innovation, traveled to the Pacuare Reserve in Costa Rica to study biodiversity and conservation, returning with real data, field protocols, and cross-curricular lessons designed to connect students to science in meaningful ways.
The Cindy Edelman Excellence in Teaching Fellowship gives outstanding educators the chance to travel, study, and bring new ideas back to their classrooms and schools. By connecting teachers with authentic learning experiences around the world, the fellowship helps transform instruction and deepen student engagement across Duval County.
Their experience in Costa Rica strengthened their understanding of ecosystems, provided authentic scientific data and field methods for classroom use, and inspired new cross-curricular conservation lessons.
Collecting real scientific data in the field
At the Pacuare Reserve along Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, the teachers participated in a week-long professional development with Ecology Project International. They studied the biodiversity of the local ecosystem and the environmental threats it faces, collected data on leatherback sea turtle hatchlings, and released more than 200 hatchlings into the ocean. They also set camera traps to monitor mammals and conducted behavioral observations of primates. Experiencing the reserve firsthand – seeing monkeys, sloths, owls, amphibians, and countless plant and insect species – made the complexity and importance of biodiversity unmistakably real.
Learning how to turn field science into classroom learning
Working alongside local scientists and educators from across the United States, the teachers explored how intensive field research methods can be adapted for elementary and secondary classrooms. They returned with authentic data sets, inquiry routines aligned to the 5E instructional model, and concrete protocols that allow students to analyze real information about ecosystems. The experience also highlighted how culturally responsive conservation work can increase student engagement and build global awareness.
Building cross-curricular lessons and schoolwide impact
Back in Jacksonville, the teachers plan to create a cross-curricular unit focused on the conservation of local marine life. Students will connect Florida standards and Next Generation Science Standards concepts to the ecosystems along their own coast, using science and math to understand real environmental challenges. The teachers also plan to share their experience and resources with colleagues, encouraging schoolwide conservation efforts such as recycling and waste reduction, and helping other educators integrate real-world connections into their instruction.
The fellowship experience didn’t just deepen the teachers’ understanding of biodiversity; it provided the tools, data, and inspiration to transform how students experience science. By connecting classroom learning to real ecosystems and global conservation efforts, they are helping students see the relevance and impact of their work.
What began as a dream learning experience for two teachers is now rippling outward, shaping lessons, inspiring students, and strengthening conservation efforts across their school community.