Schools
Columbus Elementary Science Coordinator Wins Fulbright Grant
She will be traveling to Vietnam during the summer to teach.
NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The science coordinator for Columbus Elementary School will be teaching in Vietnam during the summer through a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching Short-Term grant. Elizabeth Barrett-Zahn will be one of nine U.S. citizens who will travel abroad through the Teaching Short-Term Program in the 2017-2018 school year. The award is granted by the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential, according to a New Rochelle school district spokesman.
Zahn will work with Huu Nghi Primary school in Hai Phong City in northern Vietnam to help develop an authentic, hands-on approach to teaching science.
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"I am super excited and honored to have been chosen for this amazing educational experience," Zahn said. "Teaching children to think critically and creatively is at the heart of all learning. To do this, we must also be willing to take risks and extend our own learning to beyond the classroom walls."
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The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. It is designed to build relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries that are needed to solve global challenges.
Zahn has taught in the New Rochelle school district for 24 years. She has worked summers in science labs in Columbia University and participated in programs that took her to classrooms in Malaysia, Singapore and Japan. She has also taken part in a leadership program at Mercy College.
Last year, Zahn received the 2016 Anton Banko Award for excellence in elementary school science teaching. The award is given by the Science Teacher's Association of New York and includes a $1,500 grant for classroom use.
Photo caption: Elizabeth Barrett-Zahn. Photo credit: Submitted.
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