EPIC's environmental education intern Ms. Linden Rayton will be leaving St. Maarten today Wednesday March 2nd to return to the United States. Ms. Rayton has spent the past six weeks providing much needed environmental education classes and excursions to students at the island's primary and secondary schools.
Ms. Rayton states that her time on St. Maarten “has been immensely rewarding but also an alarm call to the state of environmental education on the island”. According to Rayton: “The best kind of education, and the kind that students deserve, is the kind that causes them to sit up, watch what you’re doing, and ask questions. This means they are learning something new, and, they are interested. It is this response that I get from students on St. Maarten, and this is part of what makes my work so satisfying. And, most importantly, I know that what they are learning is of critical importance to their future, and the future of St. Maarten.
Unfortunately, I find that many students don’t have a working knowledge of the ecology on St. Maarten. I start off simply, asking them what kinds of habitats animals and people might use on the island. What may seem like silly questions are actually the foundation of EPIC’s presentations, for it is only by understanding how all these habitats are connected that we can understand what the human population is inflicting on this island.
Environmental education needs to be a part of any classroom curriculum, each and every year. And if the students I have worked with are any indication, the children of St. Maarten are more than ready to start learning”.
EPIC also bids farewell to Ms. Alicia Webster EPIC’s public relations intern who left the Foundation in mid February to broaden her horizons by pursing training and experience with organizations not associated with the environmental movement on St. Maarten.
Ms. Webster who describes the environmental well-being of St. Maarten as her “passion” started her internship with EPIC in October of 2010 and has been instrumental in carrying-out preparatory work for the Foundation’s Press book which will be printed and distributed upon completion later this year. Webster was also actively involved in producing video footage for EPIC’s environmental education and outreach programs.
Ms. Rayton and Ms. Webster both carried out exemplary work for EPIC and environmental protection efforts on St. Maarten in their respective fields. EPIC thanks both ladies for their service, the foundation is confident that they will excel in whichever fields they choose to pursue and wishes them much success.
