(Thanks to Kristen Albright (Acadia STEAM in the PARK) for these heartfelt words.)
The briny smell of the ocean, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks, a night of a million stars in the Milky Way, laughter and song around the campfire with my firefly friends, and miles of hikes through the spruce-scented forest—these are the moments that I treasure from my time in STEAM in the Park.  This was the most unconventional professional development I have ever attended in my 26+ years of teaching, and it truly changed my life for the better. 
When I heard from a dear friend and colleague about the first STEAM in the Park that took place last year in Acadia, I knew that I had to apply this year.  I was thrilled to learn that I had been accepted after waiting to hear for weeks.  The Zoom calls with fellow attendees in the months leading up to STEAM in the Park Acadia allowed me to have a glimpse of what was to come, making friendships and connections with teachers across the country. I was so impressed with Dacia’s organization and communication leading up to the event. 

In Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, we had several days packed with learning and networking.  The park rangers provided sessions on mapping, dichotomous keys to identify species, water quality and pH, and the methods biologists use to monitor the invasive green crab. Our STEAM in the Park ambassadors presented on literacy connections, poetry, and even a fun yoga session! Each of us had an opportunity to hone our artistic skills by painting a picture of monarch butterflies or scenery around Acadia.  Our final night was a ranger-led session on constellations under the most beautiful, star-filled sky. In between sessions, we dined together, went to town for ice cream, hiked the beautiful vistas, and took time to enjoy beautiful Acadia National Park.
After taking a few days to reflect on my time in Acadia with STEAM in the Park, I have two main takeaways that I will always cherish. First, I know now that I can do things outside of my comfort zone.  Walking over rocks and digging through seaweed to find the elusive yet invasive green crab is not something I have ever done before, but accomplishing this feat in a completely supportive environment allowed me to try something new!  Secondly, I have been reminded that teachers do make a difference. Following a few difficult years of the pandemic and beyond, my zest for teaching was somewhat diminished.  STEAM in the Park rejuvenated me by showing me how teachers can use UN Global goals to do real, important work with our students that can change the world.  We did research that scientists in the field will use and wrote lesson plans that will be used by teachers worldwide. 

The “firefly” friendships and connections that I made with fellow campers will give me the energy and support I need to make this school year a success!  I feel truly lucky to have had this opportunity and I can’t wait to apply to another park next year!

Guest Blog by Megan Rodriguez

This past week I had the opportunity to attend #STEAMinthePark with Expeditions in Education. It is unique combination of professional learning and adult summer camp. This summer the camp will take place at eight different National Parks across the country. I participated at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. This series of posts explores my reflections on the week.

 As educators we can hopefully agree that when students are engaged in hands-on experiences they are able to build their own learning and make connections to previous content. Countless philosophers, psychologists, and educators (formal and informal) agree with this.

            John Dewey says, "Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand   
            thinking, or the intentional noting of connections; learning naturally results."

            Confucius is quoted with "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

            In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle writes, “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them."'

​If these hold true for students, then why not for adults and teachers as well?!? During #STEAMinthePark we were pushed into carefully planned and organized learning experiences. On the first full day we were told to gear up with water shoes and life vests. We split into groups with other educators who we had just met the previous evening to collect water samples and search for benthic macroorganisms. We used electronic and manual methods for determining water clarity, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, and phosphates. We then compared data with each other and in multiple locations at the site. All going back to answer a guiding question for the work: "What makes a healthy ecosystem?"

If you thought the learning experiences would end here, you're wrong! The following day we jumped back into the New River to participate in the Dragonfly Mercury Project. Similar to the dobsonfly, the larvae of dragonflies also lives in the water. The dragonfly larvae is collected by students and teachers at National Parks around the country for mercury analysis to provide insight into the health of the rivers and ecosystems (still going back to the guiding question from the previous day - see what they did there 🤯). ​​

We are thrilled to host so many educators this summer. We are also thrilled to share their thoughts. Below you will find a FB post from Patricia Cleveland, an educator from South Carolina!

Home from hands down the best #professionallearning, in the most beautiful location I have ever attended (Maui, Germany and Naples are all still up there, but man #newrivergorgenationalpark blew it out of the water). #steaminthepark was 5 days of #learning, #exploring, #investigating, #challenges, #teamwork, #science, #engineering, #art, #campfires, #smores, #math #technology (teacher summer camp ). 5 days in the outdoors investigating how everything in our world is interconnected from #watersamples and #macroinvertebrates to helping collect samples for the #mercury #dragonflyproject and doing a #moth inventory. 5 days of trying new things, and being reminded that you need to be #brave and just go and do and learn. We learned from all of the #nationalparkrangers that dedicated their time and energy to teaching us about everything from #fishing, the history of the park and surrounding region (railroad and coal mine towns and how they interacted and depended on one another) to collecting samples of the #water in the #NewRiver, #macroinvertebrates, #moth #inventory (at least 4 new to NERI species were photographed) to the mercury #dragonfly project samples. Then there was really scary parts that reminded me that I have to step out of my comfort zone and be brave sometimes like going to a conference where I’ve only “met” two other participants through our teacher group and therefore didn’t know a soul, to doing the @bridgewalkwv at 851 feet above the river with a walk of over a half mile, (Paul was the best guide, he knew so much of the history and engineering of the bridge, a natural #teacher) to @aceadventureresort #whitewaterrafting (thanks Scottie O for the most exhilarating ride!and another natural born teacher, he can tell you all of the information about the formation of the rapids and history of the gorge *amazing jokes too ) I can’t thank @newrivernps @nationalparkservice and @expeditionsineducation enough for this opportunity to attend “teacher summer camp” and I am saving my pennies already so I can go to #steaminthepark again next summer. Teacher friends put the first week of January in your calendar now to sign up for one of these events! New River Gorge National Park and Preserve Expeditions In Education ACE Adventure Resort BridgeWalk National Park Service

Thanks Patti for sharing your experience!

One of my favorite parts of our STEAM in the Park program is the "A" time- the ART.  I find that having an artistic outlet, regardless of my skill level, is a great way to decompress, process what I've learned, and explore new art mediums. At Bryce Canyon National Park we were lucky to have the chance to learn some basic watercolor painting techniques. Sitting on the rim of the canyon gave us an incredible subject to paint- from the vanilla-smelling trees to the burnt sienna hoodoos and cliffs, and on to the blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds, there was lots to look at and take in.

Art does so many great things - for kids and adults alike.  It helps us tap into our creative side.  That inclination we have to explore new ideas for representing what we know and do. It helps us express new learning, and it gives us an opportunity to not be perfect- something I always need to practice!

When our original teacher ended up sick we were fortunate to have Ms. Bonnie step in as our facilitator & teacher. I was amazed at how she jumped right into the experience.  She taught us some great tips and techniques to get started with watercolor. She encouraged us to give things a try, and if it didn't work out to try something different. Isn't that exactly what we'd want our students to do? What a joy and a gift to have some time to learn with her.

How might you include art in your lessons? You'll be amazed (and maybe even surprised) at the good that comes from it!

Today was our first full day of STEAM in the Park at Bryce Canyon National Park, and what a wonderful day it was! Weather was absolutely perfect, from the chilly start to the blue skies splotched with fluffy white clouds hanging on the horizon. We even felt a few drops of rain here and there. Two highlights of the day were our discussions with Park Rangers which focused on biodiversity and human impact at Bryce Canyon.

Our afternoon conversations with Ranger Andres began with a compelling question.  He asked us, "How do we make sense of the land that we see here?" This lead to wonderful conversations about the many ways we innately consider land, and the much deeper and richer opportunities we have to dig a little deeper and see the interconnectedness between humans and the Earth. Ranger Andres encouraged us to think not just of past human history, but also to consider our current relationship with the land which will help inform our future abilities to live and thrive as people and communities.  He spoke about indigenous peoples who have inhabited the Bryce Canyon area for at least 10,000 years. He shared stories of Spanish missionaries and explorers in the 1700's. He spoke about pioneers and settlers in the 1800's for whom the canyon is now named.  And, he spoke about all those who currently visit and explore the hoodoos, canyons, mesas, and plateaus of this area.

Ranger Andres followed up his initial question with several more that were designed to get us thinking, and lead to many conversations between us as we walked the rim of the canyon. Some of the things he asked include:

• How do you use the land you live on?
• What gifts does the land provide for you? For us as a community? For us as humans?
• How can the names of places impact your relationship with the land, and vice versa?
• What is something in your life that you would like to preserve? 
• What do you value or think is important?
• How do we fit into places like Bryce?
• What connections do we have between one another as well as to other living organisms and to the Earth?

We're using these questions as springboards for conversation and the design of instructional content that will be taken back to schools across our country, from California to New Jersey.  It is exciting to know that what started as teacher learning has the potential to turn into wonderful learning and growth in K-12 students and beyond!

​- Susan Bowdoin

My name is Susan Bowdoin, and I'm the Program Director for STEAM in the Park. Bryce Canyon is the second of eight National Park visits for STEAM in the Park this summer, and I'm excited to be joining Dacia and Steve in welcoming our campers!  Though our official start isn't for a couple of days, we've already had some great "firsts" that are worth sharing.

• For many of our participants this event will be their FIRST trip to the desert southwest, and the FIRST time they've spent a week at a high altitude (areas in the park reach up to 9,000 feet in elevation!)
  
• I'm from New Mexico, so sandstone hoodoos and dry desert air aren't unusual for me. Even so, my FIRST glimpse of the Sunset Point overlook of Bryce Canyon was absolutely stunning. I can't wait to put on my hiking boots and trek down into this amazing place!
• Though we're here for the hoodoos, there are other fun things here! I took a short nature exploration earlier today and saw my FIRST muskrat swimming in a small lake next to our campsite. It was joined by a chorus of yellow-headed blackbirds, mallard ducks, and coots who also enjoy the reeds and cattails along the edge of the lake. 
• And, the FIRST that I'm looking forward to most is meeting a new group of STEAM in the Park enthusiasts and building a network of teacher friends from across the country.

We hope you'll follow us through the summer as we add to our list of firsts. 

We have shared, laughed, paddled, cooked, swam, cried, sang, hiked, and marveled over the wonder of nature together. We met up as virtual acquaintances and are leaving as friends. We became "Firefly Friends".

Fireflies symbolize communication and illumination – two necessary elements for connecting with new friends that we would never have noticed in our usual domestic habitats. Several things must be in place to generate that “firefly spark.” There needs to be vulnerability from being somewhere new. Plus a sense of proximity, similarity, and resonance between people. And the environment matters, too. When we’re somewhere unfamiliar or facing adventure, we bond more quickly with those around us.

Once these factors are in place, the fire’s been laid for firefly friendships to ignite. These friendships spark a strong bond between relative strangers. Memories of these encounters may become highlights of your journey – even if you never see these friends again. Like a firefly’s glow, these intense friendships spring up without warning and burn brightly before their light fades away. 

Northern Public Radio | By. (2022, May 24). Perspective: Firefly friendships. Northern Public Radio: WNIJ and WNIU. Retrieved June 1, 2022, from https://www.northernpublicradio.org/wnij-perspectives/2019-08-01/perspective-firefly-friendships 

At 3:35 pm on May 28th- our 13 educators from around the country gathered together at the Trade Winds Hotel to connect, collaborate, and create! It's hard to explain 'love at first sight' with strangers- but I felt that way. These crunchy-granola educators came in with smiles, handshakes, hugs, and hearts for learning. We had our first meal together and then began our evening with introductions, games, and reflection on "why we were here'.

Day 2 we hit the river. This was the first time in canoes for many of us. Were we prepared to paddle over 13 miles? Maybe not- but we did it. The sights along the river caused us to pause and reflect on the beauty of nature and how it can truly heal the soul. Ranger Bobbie provided several opportunities for us to stop, think, and create poetry together. We did have one capsizing moment and it might have been me- but I wouldn't have traded this for anything. When we reached our camp,  we packed up the boats, set up our tents, started a fire and continued our fellowship. We met Rosebud Lakota Tribal Elder, Phyllis Stone. She shared some stories about her people and how we as "humans' should love one another. We were thrilled and honored to have her in our presence. 

After our campfire conversations, we explored our musical side with some campfire singing and then attempted to create our glow stick art. We will let you tell us if we succeeded. We were excited to get ready for a well-deserved night of sleep in our tents.  Unfortunately, mother nature had other ideas. After reviewing the weather reports and analyzing the radar, we decided the thunderstorms, rains, wind, and tornado watch were a little scary so we headed back to the motel. Still fun though.

On Day 3, we pivoted once again and decided that we would write our content today because of the constant rain. These educators really understood the assignment. They dug deep to write meaning connections and immersions for their students and the Niobrara National Scenic River staff. We can't wait to share them with you. We finished up the evening with a windy hot dog roast and gave everyone the rest of the night off to warm up and get some rest. 

Tomorrow is all about waterfall photos and frolicking, phenology hikes, waterfall art class, horse fossil studies, bison tour, celebration cookout, and our NASA dark skies. We don't want to say goodbye yet but we know that this is truly just the beginning for all of us. 
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