News

County teacher chosen for Ecuador study trip

By Bill Moss, Published: June 20, 2014

A Henderson County teacher is among 22 educators from across North Carolina selected for a trip to Ecuador to learn about the environment and poverty and see success stories of families moving from poverty to self-reliance.

Tara Hammond, a fifth grade science teacher at Hillandale Elementary School, was the only teacher from the mountains chosen for the trip, sponsored by the Educators of Excellence Institutes of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.
This is the ninth year the museum and Heifer International have collaborated on the program. During the trip June 18-27 the teachers will learn about Ecuadorian ecosystems and the people who live and work in them and learn how to share the experience in their classrooms back home.
Institute alumni become part of the Educators of Excellence Network, which enables teachers to share innovative ideas for teaching science and sharing conservation awareness.