New Rochelle teachers bring marine ecology lessons to Five Islands Park

New Rochelle educators held a hands-on marine ecology workshop Sept. 12 at Five Islands Park to build place-based learning tools tied to the Long Island Sound. The effort is part of a larger push to expand shoreline education and prepare for a future Coastal Education & Resilience Center at the park.

Why it matters: - The workshop gives teachers ready-to-use field activities tied to local ecosystems, water quality, biodiversity and coastal resilience. - The effort aims to help students learn ecology close to home by using the Long Island Sound as a classroom resource. - The program adds momentum to plans for a Coastal Education & Resilience Center at Five Islands Park.

What happened: - New Rochelle educators took part in a Long Island Sound Mentor Teacher Workshop at Five Islands Park on Sept. 12. - Participants collected and classified marine organisms. - Educators also kayaked in Echo Bay. - The workshop focused on teachers who want local, hands-on learning resources for outdoor education. - New York Sea Grant and the Long Island Sound Partnership funded the program. - The Energy Justice Law & Policy Center and the New Rochelle Eco-Ambassadors collaborated on the workshop.

The details: - Place-based education connects classroom learning to the environment and community around students. - Five Islands Park shoreline can function as a living laboratory for marine ecology and coastal learning. - Carmen Glenn, a New Rochelle High School teacher and workshop facilitator, said educators experienced the Sound the way they want students to experience it. - Jonathan La Rosa, a New Rochelle High School teacher and workshop facilitator, said students can study ecology without traveling far from New Rochelle. - La Rosa also said the workshop gave teachers practical ideas for bringing that learning to students. - The New Rochelle Eco-Ambassadors is a six-week marine science summer learn-and-earn program for New Rochelle high school students. - La Rosa and Glenn also lead the Eco-Ambassadors program. - Raya Salter, founder and executive director of the Energy Justice Law & Policy Center, said Five Islands is a living laboratory for Eco-Ambassadors.

Between the lines: - The workshop is not just professional development. It is part of a broader strategy to build a shoreline-based education pipeline for students, teachers and families. - Training teachers expands the reach of the Eco-Ambassadors model beyond a single summer program. - The partnership suggests Five Islands Park is becoming a hub for environmental education, not only a site for recreation.

What's next: - The Energy Justice Law & Policy Center and its partners will continue developing shoreline education programs at Five Islands Park. - Partners are working toward a Coastal Education & Resilience Center at the park. - The group is also engaging educators and creating more opportunities for students and families to learn from the Long Island Sound.

The bottom line: - Five Islands Park is emerging as a local field site where educators can turn the Long Island Sound into a hands-on classroom.