By Heather McDonald

It’s a smorgasbord day, so teacher Cindy Byers is bouncing around her seventh-grade science classroom, sliding from one student’s desk to another, demonstrating a star project, and before that, guiding the students in analyzing a short video on ocean habitat.

Rosholt science teacher Cindy Byers reacts to a student’s comment during science class. Byers embarks on a 14-day Teacher at Sea program along the coast of Alaska Monday, April 30.
(Portage County Gazette photo)

Soon, she will head out to sea herself as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Teacher at Sea program.

“I’m super excited,” Byers said. “It’s really cool for me, but what I can bring back to the kids is priceless. It’ just makes them feel so much more connected. Bringing back my experiences to them really makes science come alive for them. It makes it all real.”

Byers departs Monday, April 30, for the 14-day trip on the ship Fairweather, during which time she will be helping scientists conduct hydrographic surveys off the coast of southeast Alaska. She also will be among groups taking smaller boats to install tidal gauges. Some of the surveying hasn’t been updated in decades, so the mapping will assist in navigation commercially and for recreation, in turn helping the state’s economy.

“She really deserves it,” seventh-grader Lilian Milanowksi said. “She’s such a fun and creative teacher and person, and to kind of get away and have fun and do what she loves.”

Since the program’s inception in 1999, nearly 700 teachers have participated. Byers is the only one from Wisconsin this year, and is the fifth Wisconsin teacher over the past 15 years to be part of the program. Others have gone from Merrill, Lodi, Sturtevant and Ashland.

In the 26 years she’s been teaching, Byers has been involved in similar projects, as part of the Wisconsin Sea Grant program on the Great Lakes, being aboard the Lake Guardian and working with scientists, and participating with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Through those in-service opportunities, she’s been able to link her students with live science. One year, Byers contacted scientists on board the Lake Guardian – who at the time were out on Lake Heron – and sent them cups from the class to be part of data gathering. The scientists Skyped the class so the students could see them drop the cups into the water and then learn different data dealing with depth, pressure and other elements.

Annually, Byers takes students for two- to three-hour cruises on the Denis Sullivan ship in Milwaukee, a recreated 19th century three-masted schooner built in 1991 to educate the public about the Great Lakes. And each year, she takes her class out to do water quality testing on the Flume Creek.

Rosholt science teacher Cindy Byers works with a student on a star project during class.
(Portage County Gazette photo)

“She’s a wonderful teacher,” seventh-grader Trent Bembenek said. “She’s always interacting with us in class. Her mind’s open and she’s funny and that helps. I’m hoping she’ll come back and share what she had to do and tell us all about her experiences.”

That’s the plan, Byers said. She will be able to blog (follow her at https://noaateacheratsea.blog/category/2018/cindy-byers/) but she’s more excited at what she’ll be able to bring back, not just for this class but future ones. Already she is looking forward to creating curriculum based on the real scientific work being done.

“Ocean science is a really big part of teaching earth science,” she said. “I feel like this is going to give me a much better background and more actual experience. I can bring back actual experience to the students.

“Its amazing how after I’ve had the experiences or while I’ve had the experience, there’s so much I learn that I wasn’t expecting to learn.”