Today, one of our students is headed to the Arctic on a two-week journey to explore the eastern Canadian Arctic and Western Greenland.
NHS Sophomore, Sydney Van Slyke, begins her journey in Canada, where she will join 130 students from across the world for the Students on Ice 2019 Arctic Exploration. On the journey, they will take daily zodiac immersion trips and study plant and animal life in the Arctic and how they survive in the cold weather. This is a crucial time to further research in the Arctic as expeditions like this allow students to explore the plant and animal life now visible while also calling attention to global climate change issues and how to better sustain life.
Earlier this year, Sydney submitted an application to be one of the few students who were chosen for this prestigious annual journey. Not only was she selected to represent Narragansett High School, but she also received a full scholarship to attend thanks to the Beatrice Snyder Foundation out of New York City. The foundation read Sydney’s application and decided to make her trip financially possible through their generous donation.
Students on Ice explorations have been something our school has been involved in before with much of the credit to Science Teacher, Kathy Couchon. Mrs. Couchon embarked on her own Arctic expedition in 2004, where she was aboard a Swedish Ice Breaker in the middle of the Arctic for 6 weeks. There, they drilled into the ocean floor to learn more about the current state of the ocean, the glaciers, and global warming. At a conference she later attended related to the expedition, she learned about the unique opportunity Students on Ice gave to students and brought the information and the application process back to the district. Since then, three students have traveled through this program, Sydney making the fourth.
When asked what she was most excited about, Sydney shared that she was looking forward to learning more about the Native American culture and experiencing a different way of living. She has always been interested in science research, so this trip will be a wonderful opportunity to be immersed in a life-changing experience.
Stay tuned for an update once Sydney returns, and be sure to follow photos, videos, and news from the trip by visiting the blog below that will be live starting today!