​Troy teacher participates in National Park Service research program

Troy Middle School teacher Justine Selock recently participated in a summer professional development program for teachers through the National Park Service.

The program involved STEAM, or science, technology, engineering, arts and math. She was stationed at Niobrara National Scenic River in Nebraska, where there were prairies, rolling hills, waterfalls and rivers and such wild animals as bison, bald eagles and prairie dogs. She and her group studied pollution of area rivers and learned ways to keep our rivers and lakes clean.

She also attended the program at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, where she studied a species of newt that is only found there and is going extinct. The challenge for children, she said, was how to humanely catch and relocate the crayfish, which feed on the newts.

Children contribute to the parks’ summer research programs, Selock said, and one of the goals is to get young people back outdoors and interested in preserving and appreciating nature.

Selock teaches drama at her school and said the professional development taught her “hundreds of lessons to share with our district.” She has just been named an ambassador to one of the parks and hopes to include a drama with the lessons she learns there.

“I believe it’s important for teachers to continue to grow both personally and professionally to keep the spark for teaching alive,” she said. “Professional development allows for exploration of new ideas and creates new motivation to keep students excited about learning.”

Troy Middle School is a Troy Community School District 30-C school.