Teachers work year-round, and many often use their summers to engage in substantial hands-on professional learning opportunities that are not possible during the school year. In summer 2022 Mrs. Maxwell participated in one such opportunity through the Virginia Geographic Alliance and William and Mary.

Over the course of several days, not only did Mrs. Maxwell learn about the Chesapeake Bay, she also made connections with other Virginia teachers. Since she has returned, Mrs. Maxwell has used this experience to shape her teaching and has looked for opportunities to share her learning with others. Several of the articles she co-authored were recently published, and we are proud to share them with the community!

• Climate Change and Animal Habitat: Investigating the Chesapeake Bay (download PDF | read online)
• Using the Chesapeake Bay to Learn Climate Change (download PDF | read online)
• Analyzing the Effect of Impervious Surfaces on Flooding (download PDF | read online)
• Dissolved Oxygen and Climate Change (download PDF | read online)

Of these four articles, Mrs. Maxwell is especially proud of Climate Change and Animal Habitat: Investigating the Chesapeake Bay because it is the one in which she was a main contributor.

Additionally, Mrs. Maxwell's experiences in summer 2022 and subsequent article writing granted her another opportunity in summer 2023 to attend Taking Kids Outside through the Virginia Department of Education. Mrs. Maxwell enjoyed this experience tremendously, in part because she was able to attend with her daughters, both of whom were in college and majoring in science at that time.

Here are some photos from her summer experiences: