The big day is almost here. Mrs. Reed leaves for her journey to Antarctica on November 7, 2023. As announced in April 2023 by the National Geographic Society and Lindblad Expeditions Mrs. Sandy Reed was selected as one of 50 pre-K-12 classroom and informal educators from across the continent to be part of their 15^th cohort of Grosvenor Teacher Fellows.

As a Fellow, Mrs. Reed will have the incredible opportunity to embark on a Lindblad-National Geographic voyage to Antarctica aboard one of Lindblad Expeditions’ state-of-the-art expedition vessels, National Geographic Explorer. Throughout her expedition, she will get hands-on, field-based educational and research opportunities, as well as a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience that she will use to inform her curriculum and inspire NAPLS students to become environmental stewards.

Mrs. Reed has been sharing many elements of her trip with NAPLS students for several months. She has been presenting to all grade levels at the Intermediate School and she will be connecting with first grade teachers for their Penguin unit as well as working with the tech class at the Middle School. She will be posting footage, photos and a blog on the Easton E3 Learning Lab Facebook Page during her journey. The district will also be sharing out on social media.

Mrs. Reed’s expedition will take her to Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands aboard National Geographic Explorer. Antarctica is otherworldly, as far away from anything familiar as you can get. Its light, air, ice, weather, and wildlife are more humbling than any other destination on earth. Mrs. Reed will  spend time in Antarctica hiking the landscapes, observing penguins, adventuring with researchers, exploring the undersea environment, kayaking, and going by Zodiac where few have gone before.

Famed for its astonishing number of king penguins—literally hundreds of thousands—South Georgia is the ultimate destination for jaw-dropping scenery, boundless wildlife and captivating history. Decades of exploring South Georgia has given Lindblad/National Geographic Expeditions staff the expertise and time needed to survey the island’s terrain for hiking routes, as well as to uncover important landing spots that we will now be able to call on with ease.

Mrs. Reed will also journey with fellow explorers to the Falkland Islands, where each island is a variation of topographical beauty with white-sand beaches, vaulting cliffs, windswept moors, and the sunlit yellows and sage greens of waving tussock grass. The stunning variety of local wildlife and the dramatic landscapes of these remote islands will affect the way she shares stories about travel and wildlife adventures with our NAPLS students.

We will be following along on her journey and hope to share video and photos of what she is experiencing along the way! We wish Mrs. Reed the best of luck and safe travels on her incredible journey.

The following hashtags will be used to track the journey. 

Here is a sample itinerary of what a typical day may involve.

Itinerary In-Depth: A Sample Day in Antarctica

7: 00 a.m. – You wake to the sound of the expedition leader’s cheerful voice over the loudspeaker, welcoming you to a beautiful morning. You dress and make your way to the dining room for breakfast, served buffet style with a mix of classic breakfast foods and local favorites. Over the meal, you discuss the upcoming day with your fellow travelers. What activity will you do first?

9:00 a.m. – Today is open for exploration throughout Antarctic waters, and the ship is currently just offshore at Petermann Island. You hop into a Zodiac, and within moments you’re ashore. As you hike the rocky landscape, you might encounter nesting Adélie and Gentoo penguins, nurturing their chicks. Or you might stay in the Zodiacs for a relaxing ride around the island, keeping an eye out for leopard seals on nearby ice floes, swimming penguins and humpback whales in the distance.

12:00 p.m. – You step back aboard the ship in time for lunch, and then have some time to relax, with plenty of shipboard activities to choose from. You can rest up in your cabin, lounge on deck with a book from the ship’s library, join the captain and naturalists on the bridge to learn about navigation or do some wildlife spotting off the bow.

1:00 p.m. – You’ll want to be on deck, camera in hand, as the ship travels through the scenic Lemaire Channel, with sharp ice-sculpted cliffs rising sharply on either side. There may be time for a quick nap before exploring a small bay nestled in the southwest corner of Wiencke Island. Discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot in 1904, the area was originally a refuge for Antarctic explorers and whalers, and later was home to a British scientific research station from 1944-1962.

6:30 p.m. – You and your fellow travelers make your way to the lounge. You relax and begin recapping the day. You’re treated to a presentation of scenes shot by the undersea specialist on the underwater camera, adding another layer to the already impressive underwater world. As you sit down to dinner, you fall into comfortable conversation with your tablemates. You discuss what you’ve seen, where you still want to go and what you’ve shared on this journey thus far.

Dining with both naturalists and fellow travelers, you and your companions share the spirit of exploration and excitement for the next day’s adventures. Back aboard the ship, you can take advantage of nearly 24 hours of daylight for photography. Many of our naturalists are well-practiced photographers, and they can point you in the right direction for the best angles and scenes for your photos of the surrounding seascape, icebergs and wildlife.

Note: The day above is a sample of a typical day on an expedition. Due to the nature of expedition travel, your itinerary will be kept flexible, allowing you to best take advantage of your time in the region.