Page Content
While most teachers in frosty Alberta would no doubt choose to spend their Christmas vacation in a hot and humid country, Lucie Filion, a Kindergarten teacher at Ecole Notre Dame in Edmonton, will be donning thermal boots and a parka as she sets off to explore Antarctica.
Filion is one of several Canadian teachers leading students on a trek of the Earth's fifth largest continent under the auspices of Students on Ice—Canadian Learning Expedition to Antarctica. Filion, who will serve as a chaperone, is excited about the prospect of visiting Antarctica and sharing her experience with teachers and students upon her return home.
Filion was amused by her students' questions when they learned about her trip. "The first question my Kindergarten students asked me was, 'Are you going to sleep upside down and are you going to walk on your head?' They are very fascinated with the fact that there are penguins in Antarctica. They are especially impressed that I will be under the earth (from their perspective)," Filion says.
She hopes to increase peoples' awareness about our planet and, more specifically, about Antarctica. "If I can spark peoples' curiosity about the wonders of Antarctica and its mysterious and addictive beauty so that one day they visit in person or over the Internet, then I have attained my goal," she says.
Students and teachers can follow Filion's progress on the Internet by visiting www.studentsonice.com. The website features information about Antarctica, the Students on Ice expedition, the research vessel and much more. Of special interest is the educational component of the website. By clicking on education programs, teachers and students can learn about the greatest classroom on earth.
