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PV Elementary Teacher Honored for Erie Photography
For one great week in July, we will be training teachers in geography, with a special emphasis on the Erie Canal. But unlike institutes of the past, this one is a journey along the historic canal and the Hudson Valley. There will be several boat trips on the modern canal, including passing through locks, engineering masterpieces from the early 1900s. We will also visit sites along the 'Old Erie'- museums, forts, canal parks. There will be talks from experts on the Erie Canal and the history and geography of the Empire State. We are arranging for great entertainment, too. Of course, there will be time for sightseeing and shopping in canal towns from Buffalo to Albany." So reads the introduction to the New York Geographic Alliance's program announcement for "The Grand Canal ExpERIEnce 2007," and longtime Putnam Valley Elementary School teachers Maureen Beyrer and Lin Butter were two of the enthusiastic participants, selected via a competitive application process that included an essay submission.
Two contingents traveled in opposite directions along the Erie. One group began in the Hudson Valley and then moved north to Albany, followed by a "journey of discovery" through the Mohawk Valley. The second group left from their home port of Buffalo and moved eastward through the Genesee country and the Finger Lakes Region. Both groups met in Syracuse to complete the ExpERIEnce. Ms. Butter and Ms. Beyrer, having successfully completed the ExpERIEnce, are now NYGA Teacher Consultants, whom the NYGA calls
our newest ambassadors for geographic education in New York State," and they will present at least one workshop in the Putnam Valley Central School District in the following school year, for which NYGA will provide additional training.
A related program is the annual Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Photo Contest. The winning photos- which should capture "the beauty, history, bustling activity and character of New York's amazing canals and canal communities," appear in the annual Erie Canalway Calendar. An avid photographer, Ms. Butter reported that "the organizer, who had seen some of my images, suggested that I submit one to the contest and shared with me where to look for information about the competition." In September she was pleased to learn that her photo, shown above, had won first place in the History and Heritage division. For a look at all of the winning photos, visit www.eriecanalway.org
This "floating institute" is just one project of the NYGA, which is part of a nationwide network of state geographic alliances, partnered with the National Geographic Society.
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