Area
teacher embarking on eco-trip
Monday, May 02, 2005 • By KAT
MAIN • The Express-Times
BLAIRSTOWN TWP. -- Blairstown Elementary
School teacher Stephanie De Fiori will soon have the
opportunity to wrestle with crocodiles on her summer
vacation in Manzanilla, Mexico, thanks to funding from the
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
Actually, it won't just be crocodiles, as
part of Earthwatch's La Manzanilla Conservation Project, De
Fiori will also band and track the boat-billed heron and
camp on a Mexican beach in a hut.
She and 10 other teachers from throughout
the country will conduct research and gather information to
be analyzed and later applied to the environmental group's
restoration and educational initiatives.
For the Spanish and music teacher of 29
years, the opportunity highlights a chance to combine all
the loves of her life -- language, plants and the
environment, she said.
"Everyone said it's a life-changing
experience, I'm very fortunate," De Fiori said. "I'm
starting to get excited and I'm looking forward to
it."
An avid conservationist, the Tatamy
resident said protecting the environment is an issue close
to her heart. In the past, she's traveled to Costa Rica to
band birds and has actively supported the growing of shade
coffee. She said with the rise of coffee plantations in
Costa Rica, many of the birds' native habitats have been
destroyed.
By growing shade tree coffee, both the
birds' and the coffee-growers' needs are met -- the birds
have a home in the trees and coffee growers can raise their
product guilt-free.
De Fiori's interest in the environment
has not gone unnoticed at Blairstown Elementary School,
Superintendent of Blairstown Township School District
Michael Feeney said.
"She's very passionate and has long been
an environmentalist. It's (the grant) a perfect fit for her
and the school is looking forward to the information she
will gather on the culture to use in Spanish classes,"
Feeney said. "It's a win-win situation for us," he
added.
As a condition of the grant, De Fiori
said she'll complete lesson plans upon her return. The plans
will be for use by teachers everywhere she said. Topics may
include crocodiles, plant research, birds or the
environment.
De Fiori also said she's thrilled to have
a chance to practice her Spanish during the 14-day trip with
Earthwatch.
De Fiori's education includes degrees
from both West Chester and Marywood universities. She is
also studying landscape design at County College of
Morris.
Reporter Kat Main can be reached at 908-475-2174 or by
e-mail at kmain@express-times.com.
© 2005 The Express-Times. Used with
permission.
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