by Ashley Sloan
Students in Mrs. Marceau’s Grade 1/2 class at Oxford on Rideau are experiencing an expedition to Antarctica, without having to pack! The adventure is happening with the help of Nicole Hodges, a dear friend to Mrs. Marceau. Nicole is fulfilling a dream of travelling to Antarctica while inspiring young minds to explore the world. She has brought with her a destination sign on which the students have calculated the distance to get back to their school. When she arrived, she sent a picture to the students of her posing in front of the Glaciers and Southern Ocean with their sign.
The students have been following her 3 week adventure as she made a stop in Argentina and visited the end of the world post office located in Tierra Del Fuego National Park. To commemorate this adventure, she has added an Oxford on Rideau lightning sticker to the wall of the famous post office.
Each Day, Nicole has checked in with the students and has even been able to answer some of their questions while she is abroad. She has told the students of her experiences of sleeping outside, the amount of penguins she has spotted, and about her experiences on a cruise ship.
Mrs Marceau says: “The connection my students have made with Nicole and her adventures has opened up some fantastic learning opportunities. Their curiosity and excitement has led us to investigate many different aspects of Antarctica, from learning about the different animals found there and how they live and survive, to the geography of the area and reading maps as we followed her ship’s journey. Having a real person on the other end of the emails and pictures has brought Antartica to life for the kids.” Nicole is due to return home soon and plans to visit the students in person or by video to meet them and talk more about her adventure.
