FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--<<THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2023>>
RFH’s Gauss Named National Geographic Society Grosvenor Teacher Fellow
Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School couldn’t be prouder to share that their 2020 Educator of the Year and Monmouth County Teacher of the Year, Spanish teacher, advisor, mentor, and community member, Christina Gauss, has been announced as a member of the 15th cohort of Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Society Grosvenor Teacher Fellows. Gauss is one of 50 educators from 24 U.S. states, five Canadian provinces, and the first-ever Fellow from Puerto Rico who will embark on expeditions around the world onboard Lindblad Expeditions’ state-of-the-art expedition vessels to enhance their geographic knowledge with hands-on, field-based experiences that they will bring back to their classrooms, communities, and professional networks. Starting later this year, the 2023 Fellows will begin their 8 to 24-day expeditions aboard several Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic vessels, including National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Endeavour II, National Geographic Orion, and National Geographic Venture, as well as the company’s two newest polar class vessels, National Geographic Endurance and National Geographic Resolution, to destinations across six continents, including four regions new to the program in 2023, Australia and New Zealand, Indonesia, Japan, and Patagonia. While on board, the Fellows will have the unique opportunity to experience landscapes, cultures, and wildlife endemic to some of the world’s most remote regions. They will be accompanied by Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic experts, including knowledgeable naturalists, undersea specialists, and National Geographic photographers. Gauss was selected from a competitive pool of applicants made up of K-12 educators from around the country and will personally travel to the Galápagos Islands in December.
Gauss earned degrees in Spanish and International Relations and Education from Bucknell University, Millersville University, and Rutgers, The State University of NJ, respectively. She began her teaching career in 1994 before eventually joining the RFH staff in 2000. At RFH, Gauss works tirelessly in constant collaboration with her colleagues and supervisor, Seth Herman, to elevate the level of Spanish instruction and increase the cultural exposure of students in the World Language program. Aside from being an innovative and caring educator, Sra. Gauss is an advisor to students and a mentor to her colleagues within and outside of the World Language Department.
Gauss is no stranger to honors having been named the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese’s (AATSP) National Outstanding Secondary Teacher of the Year in 2017 and Monmouth County’s Teacher of the Year in 2020 by the New Jersey Department of Education and the New Jersey School Board Association. Over the past three years, Gauss has become even more involved in leading professional development for educators in RFH, Monmouth County, and throughout the state. She is especially excited about this opportunity: “I can't wait to continue to learn from the local experts and bring back my experiences to share with our students. I plan on developing a collection of interviews recorded in Spanish and am looking into developing an interdisciplinary project that would allow for an "immersive experience" for all RFH students.
Sra. Gauss embodies everything that RFH stands for: she empowers her students to explore their passions, inspires them to thrive, increases their knowledge, confidence, creativity, and compassion, and truly seeks to foster global citizenship each and every day. Rumson Fair Haven is proud to formally honor her amazing ongoing achievements!
(picture below)
Christina Gauss received the confirmation of her selection as one of 50 National Geographic Society Grosvenor Teacher Fellows at a four-day conference in Washington D.C. back in April. She is pictured here (2nd to last row, 2nd in from right) at the conference with other fellows.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT-
Sarah Fitzgerald, RFH Press Release Writer
sfitzgerald@rumsonfairhaven.org or 732-842-1597 x. 277
