Four Winds teacher Samantha Ur chosen for National Geographic Fellowship

By Stephen Dafoe

Four Winds Public School Grade 5 and 6 science and outdoor education teacher Samantha Ur is one of 35 North American educators to join the Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship program, a collaboration between the National Geographic Society and Lindblad Expeditions.

Ur, one of only four Canadians selected for the honour, will depart for Costa Rica and Panama aboard the National Geographic expedition vessel Quest from Dec. 14 to 21. The one-week trip will offer Ur and other educators the opportunity for hands-on, field-based learning experiences doing research in partnership with National Geographic experts.

The science teacher has been with Sturgeon School Division for nine years. She started her teaching journey at École Morinville Public School. UR was a Sturgeon student attending Namao and Sturgeon Composite High School before furthering her education.

UR had previously applied twice for the Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship program but was not accepted. Last December, Ur decided to give it another shot, going through the lengthy essay and video questions process.

Then she got the call.

“When I found out, I was ecstatic. I started crying. I kept saying, ‘I can’t believe this,'” Ur recalled of the February voicemail she heard in her truck after school. “It’s honestly a dream come true. This program is just amazing, and I’m so incredibly excited to be part of it. I still can’t believe it’s happening. I’m just so over the moon about it.”

Ur said she is excited about the opportunity to work with National Geographic’s experts.

“On this trip, there’s going to be a lot of opportunity to get hands-on with a lot of field-based knowledge. They have naturalists on board, so I’m going to be able to go and learn from these naturalists on the ship,” Ur said, noting that bird and plant life is considerably different in Costa Rica and Panama from Canada.

“That’s what I’m really going for—the differences in the adaptations, the difference in the biodiversity that they have there. They’ve got a scientist on board, so it’s going to be really easy to ask all the questions.”

Ur plans to involve students in formulating questions she can ask the National Geographic naturalists, information about biodiversity, adaptations, and culture that she can bring back to the students and the Division.

“We get an opportunity to visit local cultures, local families and learn from them about what they’re doing in that area,” Ur said, adding her plan is to bring that scientific information back to her students through photos, stories, and evidence to bring the curriculum to life for them. “I want to share that not only with my students but with everyone.”

Four Winds Principal Dan Requa said the Division is proud to showcase its amazing teachers and expressed pride that Ur was selected for the prestigious fellowship opportunity.

“It’s always great to highlight the amazing staff we have here,” Requa said, noting Ur would be tapped on the shoulder to share the experience from what she’s learned or creates from the experience. “She’ll be sharing with all the other elementary science teachers and whoever needs it. I think it’s just exciting when you get to dive into your passions.”

Requa went on to praise Ur for taking students outside for hands-on science. “The atmosphere she builds around the subject is so crucial,” he said. “That’s what they’re going to remember, and that is what these kids remember.”

The Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship program is open to pre-K-12 educators. Those selected commit two years to support National Geographic’s education initiatives. Since it’s inception in 2006, 400 educators have received the honour.

Ur is one of only two Alberta teachers chosen. Tyler Dixon of West Ridge School in Calgary was also selected and will travel to Antarctica.