Tropical Ecology Institute

North Carolina Team Members

Liz Baird (Trip leader)
Director of School Programs
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Wake County
Hobbies: photography, pilates, yoga, trying new things
What I am looking forward to: Seeing Nathan again, meeting new friends at DuPlooys, returning to Southwater Caye and sharing the Belize experience with a new group of educators.

Jan Weems (Trip leader)
Coordinator of the Discovery Room
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Wake County
Hobbies: snorkeling, hiking, gardening, kayaking/canoeing, traveling with family
What I am looking forward to: Seeing old friends and introducing a new group of North Carolina educators to the wonders of Belize, from hiking in caves to night snorkeling off the coast.

Kelli Charles
Teacher
Irwin Intermediate School
Cumberland County
Hobbies: camping, reading, hiking, canoeing
What I am looking forward to: All the unique experiences that await me in Belize. Then being able to share my experiences with my students.

Mary Covington
3rd Grade Teacher
The Raleigh School
Wake County
Hobbies: reading, traveling, hiking
What I am looking forward to: Exploring and experiencing the rainforest, coral reefs, Mayan ruins with new friends; bringing back exciting stories and photos to share with my school community. I hope to see a great Kapok Tree and Howler Monkeys!

Martha Flanagan
Coordinator of the Living Conservatory
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Wake County
Hobbies: hiking, photography, travel, gardening, reading, all things nature
Looking forward to: Seeing Belize through an educators' eyes; spotting all kinds of cool flora and fauna; snorkeling; learning from others in the group and gaining a better understanding of Belizean culture.

Lisa Garrison
Lead Teacher
Archdale Elementary School
Randolph County
Hobbies: reading, camping, swimming and gardening
Looking forward to: Seeing the Mayan ruins; exploring the rainforest and learning about its wildlife; taking a million pictures to share with my family; gaining first hand experience so that I can make Science and Social Studies come alive for my students.

Patti Scanlon Holland
Science Teacher
Manteo High School
Dare County
Hobbies: any outdoor activity
Looking forward to: Exploring the rain forest, jaguar preserve and Mayan ruins; learning about Belizean culture; bringing back stories and information to share with my family, students and friends.

Sharon Jacob
Media Specialist
Pinnacle Elementary School
Rutherford County
Hobbies: running, biking, hiking, traveling and sharign information gathered from trips with my students
Looking forward to: Getting to know and becoming friends with educators from North Carolina and from Belize. Exploring a rain forest, snorkeling, hiking the Mayan Ruins and bringing back resources to share with my students, faculty and community.

Amy Jordan
Elementary AG Teacher
Torrence Creek Elementary
Mecklenburg County
Hobbies: gardening, hiking, playing with family and pets
Looking forward to: Discovering and learning about Belize and all it has to share; bringing back detailed information and pictures about the ecosystems found in the rainforests and ocean areas; seeing animals in their natural habitats.

Brandi Mathis
Science Teacher
Bartlett Yancey High School
Caswell County
Hobbies: traveling, spending time outdoors
Looking forward to: I’m excited to learn how to snorkel and getting to explore this tropical ecosystem. I would love to see a kinkajou!

Cathy Scott
Doctoral Student
UNC - Greensboro
Guilford County
Hobbies: walking, hiking, gardening, reading
Looking forward to: Seeing reptile and amphibian species in the wild that are different from those in North Carolina, as well as meeting other science enthusiasts.

Louis Skrabec
6th Grade Math
Brown Summit Middle Center for Advanced Academics
Guilford County
Hobbies: birdwatching, hiking, photography
Looking forward to: Experiencing the incredible wildlife diversity! Capturing stories and photos to bring back to my students. Seeing a Scarlet Macaw in its natural habitat!

Betsie Stockslager
3rd Grade Teacher
Isaac Dickson Elementary
Buncombe County
Hobbies: hiking, camping, running, yoga, singing
Looking forward to: I am super excited to get to know a new group of people, experience a new culture and have a blast learning all about the ecology of Belize. I cannot wait to see the Mayan ruins and stay in the jaguar habitat!

Bill Toth
6th Grade Science/Social Studies Teacher
Rockingham County Middle School
Rockingham County
Hobbies: photography, kayaking, writing
Looking forward to: Snorkeling; seeing the variety of life in the rainforest; seeing Mayan ruins; visiting Monkey River.

Belizean Team Members

Nathan Forbes
Tour guide and driver
Nathan has been guiding the Museum's annual Tropical Ecology Institute for more than 14 years. He came to a Museum workshop (Summer Field Institute) in June 2002.