June 29th
2012 Tadler Grant Awarded to Linda Bowden and Kathleen Bracken
Due to the generosity of Richard and Donna Tadler, each year a member of the faculty spends part of the summer expanding their professional knowledge to enhance their teaching in the GUS classroom. Richard and Donna were very active members of the parent community when their children, Devon (‘05) and Conor (‘09) attended Glen Urquhart. Richard also served on the Board of Trustees, and Donna and Richard continue to support this professional opportunity. The grant for which all GUS teachers may apply, is awarded based on the potential for the experience to have a positive and lasting impact on the school’s program. The expectation is that the award recipient will play a lead role in program development at GUS for two years following the completion of study.
The Tadler Grant originated four years ago and has supported the learning of at least one teacher each summer, a wonderful opportunity that would not be possible without the grant. Teachers research a summer experience and submit a proposal to the school administration. The proposal that is chosen must enhance the teachers approach to the curriculum, develop new skills or level of information, and be applicable in the classroom.
This summer Linda Bowden and Kathleen Bracken will travel with the aid of the grant to a number of Maine destinations to enrich their teaching of the fourth grade sea curriculum. The first stop will be Rockland, Maine where the story of Abbie Burgess, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter, takes place. Abbie Burgess is a biography that is read each year as part of the fourth grade sea curriculum. Visiting her lighthouse and studying at the Maine Lighthouse Museum, the proud home of the largest collection of Fresnel lighthouse lenses and the most important collection of lighthouse artifacts and Coast Guard memorabilia, will provide important background for their students’ understanding of the book.
The next stop will be the Whale Camp on Manan Island, where they will work with the director Dennis Bowen. Dennis is an experienced teacher and the director of curriculum at the Woodlynde School outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the Whale Camp there will be opportunities for basic sailing and navigation aboard a fifty-six foot sailboat, visiting Machias Seal Island to observe puffins, arctic terns, razorbills, and other bird life, and researching whales and marine life using professional marine biology and oceanography equipment.
Kathleen and Linda will definitely return to school in September with a host of information about their sea curriculum. Thank you to Richard and Donna Tadler for continuing to support the professional development of the Glen Urquhart faculty.
Tadler Grant recipients:
2009 Barbara Kelley: Sustainable Harvest’s Educators Workshop
2010 Laura Day: Global needs trip to the Dominican Republic
2011 Christine Draper: “Stars and Stories” New Mexico, Maryland, Maine
2012 Linda Bowden & Kathleen Bracken: Sea Camp, Rockland and Manan Island, Maine
Written by Leslie Marchesseault
