Branches

TRRE Cohort 3 with Emilie Coppinger, and UNH Cooperative Extension Advisors Karen Deighan and Chris Whiting Cohort 3 celebrated the completion of the   UNH TRRE Summer Institute with   a culminating project presented to their community-based partners. This summer the Seminar and Practicum in Teaching was co-taught for the first time. According to Tom Schram, Director of Pedagogy and Clinical Experience, the co-teaching experience with Lakes Region Faculty in Residence, Bryan Mascio, benefited the residents as each faculty brings complementary strengths and a shared philosophy about teacher development to the program. Bryan Mascio also taught Human Development and Learning/Educational Psychology and Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Teaching and Learning, which residents were also required to take this summer. This cross integration of summer courses allowed for a re-design of the community-based internship and the culminating summer project. Cross-curricular integratio...

Welcome Allie Tompkins and Marie Collins to the TRRE Team. As new graduate assistants, they join the TRRE Management Team to assist with recruitment, participate in research and spearhead individual TRRE projects connected to their studies. Marie Collins Marie Collins  started the PhD in Education in Curriculum & Instruction this fall. Most recently, Marie has been working as a grade 4 classroom teacher and inquiry coach at the International Community School in Cote D'Ivoire, and the American International School in Nigeria.  She currently lives in Portsmouth with her dog, Wahala.  Her research interests lie in exploring effective methods for developing environmental and science literacy in both students and teachers, with a focus on the connections between student and teacher literacy in these areas. Marie will be working with the Kathryn McCurdy,  TRRE Director of Mentoring and Induction,   to develop modules on classroom m...

University of NH Programs Engage Rural Schools in STEM Education Two University of New Hampshire (UNH) programs, STEMbassadors and Teacher Residency for Rural Education (TRRE), will be at the Berlin Elementary School on Sept. 21 for STEMfest 2019 promoting education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). UNH encourages collaboration among STEM outreach entities to excite K-12 students about futures in STEM topics and to offer professional development opportunities for educators.   TRRE takes that a step further, with a program to prepare new teacher candidates with a focus on STEM specifically for rural NH. Community members interested in becoming a rural NH teacher through TRRE, are invited to an information session at Berlin Elementary School on Sept. 21 at 11:00 am. A TRRE representative will be present to provide information about the program and answer questions. After attending the information session, lunch will be provided, and these partic...

It was love at first sight for spouses Mitra Karimian and Stefan Shapiro: after their first visit to White Mountains they were head over heels for New Hampshire’s North Country. “We really started to fall in love with the area,” Shapiro says of the couple’s early trips to the Whites. After spending part of a summer volunteering with the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and Appalachian Trail Conservancy in 2011, Karimian and Shapiro returned to their home state of Maryland. But they both knew it was only a matter of time before they would return to New England. “As soon as we got back we thought, ‘how can we plot to move to New Hampshire?’” Karimian says with a laugh. The couple successfully carried out this plot, relocating to New Hampshire for positions at Camp Dodge and the Highlands Center. In the years since, Karimian and Shapiro have held several leadership positions with the AMC, and developed a deep connection to the local community. Through their work at the AMC ...

FREE Youth Mental Health First Aid Training Presenters UNH Cooperative Extension Youth & Family Field Specialists: Rick Alleva, Ed.D., and Gail Kennedy, MSW May 3, 2019 at North Country Education Services, Gorham, NH Limited to 30 participants Register Online or call 603-863-9200

Breaking down barriers to learning by TRRE residents Mitra Karimian and Alexz Steiner On January 18, 2019, the new semester kicked off with a spring symposium on Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Curriculum and Assessment. The symposium took place at North Country Education Services , and brought together TRRE Cohort 2 residents, faculty, and a panel of educators involved in the New Hampshire Universal Design for Learning network connected virtually to the group. What is a TRRE symposium?   TRRE Resident model of a UDL perspective   by Jamie Knight and Michaela Roberts Each TRRE symposium aims to address topics that cut across coursework, school-based residency experiences, and the rural communities in which residents teach. According to Kathryn McCurdy , TRRE Director of Mentoring and Induction, “ One of the hopes of our work with residents is that their coursework, their school residency, and their experiences in their communities are thoughtf...

Are you looking to transform teaching and learning at your school? Send a school team to New Hampshire Universal Design for Learning (NHUDL) Innovation Network for 2019-2020!  Join NHUDL in an engaging, hands-on professional learning series. NHUDL is offered by the NH Department of Education and CAST, a world-renowned non-profit whose mission is to transform educational design and practice. The New Hampshire Universal Design for Learning (NHUDL) Innovation Network is a multi-year professional learning program for educators who are committed to empowering all learners. Working with a team of school-based colleagues, you will learn about the UDL framework and be supported as you apply it to your practice. You will create innovative lessons in Learning Design Studios, understand how our students learn by analyzing classroom videos, build a collaborative school culture with your peers through Instructional Rounds, and experience the excitement of learning through the UDL lens. ...

STEM Educators setting up an Arduino at the 2016 STEM TC Summit The STEM Teachers' Collaborative   (STEM TC) is an interdisciplinary effort across the University to coordinate and enhance our capacity to strengthen the STEM pipeline, with the primary goal of increasing K-­12 teachers’ expertise in computing, engineering and technology and extending the impact of excellent STEM teachers to more students throughout the state. “We’re excited to establish the STEM TC so we can work collaboratively across UNH and with teachers across our state” says Ruth Varner, Director of the  Joan and James Leitzel Center for Mathematics, Science and Engineering Education . As part of a commitment to the 100Kin10 network, STEM TC provides more formal learning opportunities for practicing K­‐12 teachers to deepen their knowledge in STEM education. Upcoming Events FREE K-5 Code.org Computer Science Fundamentals Workshops April 13: Durham May 4: Littleton Middle ...

Our thanks to the UNH Cooperative Extension partners who bring community and science education into focus for TRRE Residents. Claes Thelemarck -  STEM Education Field Specialist, Carroll County Claes has been teaching TRRE Graduates a science inquiry class as a part of TRRE induction. He also was instrumental in enabling TRRE to connect with the community at the Sandwich and Fryeburg Fairs. Claes is responsible for promoting science education and youth development through the NH 4-H program. He helps volunteer leaders build and run 4-H clubs throughout Carroll County and helps run county 4-H events including 4-H programs at both the Sandwich and Fryeburg Fairs. Claes specializes in science education, where he helps train 4-H volunteers and afterschool professionals in science curricula and science teaching techniques with a focus on inquiry-based science. Heidi Barker -  Healthy Living Field Specialist, Community Health & 4-H Heidi has enjoyed the...

Alayna on Mt. Katahdin As a teacher at a Montessori school and an educational program coordinator for The Society for Protection of New Hampshire Forests, Alayna demonstrated her passion for experiential learning and children’s natural curiosity prior to joining TRRE. She choose the TRRE program because as she said, “I was drawn to its strong focus using community resources and connections to further students' education while including the importance of elementary science education.” Alayna was born in Portsmouth and spent summers in Thornton, NH. She is a graduate of Dalhousie University in Halifax Nova Scotia, with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in international development studies. Alayna is currently completing her r esidency in a kindergarten classroom at Whitefield Elementary .

Tina Mooney has been employed at the Whitefield School for the past 28 years. She graduated in May of 2007 from Plymouth State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Childhood Studies, Teacher Certification K-8. Tina taught Second grade for three years, then transitioned to become a Kindergarten teacher, and has taught Kindergarten for the past 8 years. Tina has recently taken on the challenge of opening and creating Natural Outdoor Classrooms and Nature Trails at the Whitefield School. When Tina is not at school she enjoys family time with her 5 grandchildren, working/playing in the outdoors with family, and hanging out with her best friend, a Great Dane named Pepper. The TRRE Program has been extremely beneficial in my classroom.  "The amount of time these residents are able to spend with students is invaluable. They learn the ins and outs of a classroom environment and responsibilities of a classroom teacher. My hope is that residents who go through the TRRE Program wil...

William Church,  Executive Director White Mountains Science Institute (WMSI) A former high school Physics teacher, Bill has worked in and with public schools for over twenty years. His passion is for supporting learning through projects using engineering design challenges and real-world science investigations.   Through his career, Bill has collaborated on many educational projects and programs with a wide range of local, regional, and national schools, organizations and businesses including; NH SAU 35, NH SAU 84, North County Educational Services, New Hampshire Science Teachers Association, Plymouth State University, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation's Christa McAuliffe program, Tufts Center for Engineering Education and Outreach, Lemelson MIT's InvenTeams, iCreate to Educate, Sparkfun Electronics, LEGO Education, and National Instruments. As an Advisory Board member and community partner with the UNH Teacher Residency for Rural Education (TRRE) program,...

Lori Langlois is the Executive Director of North Country Education Services (NCES) in Gorham, NH. Her professional experience and expertise lies in regionalized educational services in rural areas. Lori is a liaison to various partners for the TRRE program. She hopes to contribute to TRRE by connecting the program and its residents to people and opportunities that further enhance the project. Rural schools are the heart of rural communities and our students are our best hope for sustaining and growing the vibrancy of these small NH towns. Strong STEM skills will only serve to help that cause and therefore TRRE’s work to develop teachers with strong mathematics and science content and pedagogical knowledge can play a vital role in moving these communities forward. In addition to boosting the number of math and science educators in rural schools, Lori anticipates the development of enduring relationships among cohort members that strengthen and expand networking amongst NH’s rural scho...

Jamie  graduated from Unity College in 2011 with a degree in sustainable design and technology. She also earned a Master's of Arts in Teaching Secondary Education Social Studies from Rivier University in 2015. Most recently, Jamie worked for Project Youth at the Family Resource Center in Gorham.   She has experience as Site Director of the Edward Fenn Afterschool Program. Prior to that, she was employed for two years as a paraprofessional at the Berlin Middle School. Jamie is enrolled in the elementary (K-6) certification pathway. Currently, she is a teaching resident at SAU 3 in second grade at Brown Elementary School. 

UNH Aims to Recruit and Retain More Math, Science Teachers in the North Country On November 19, 2018, Daniela Allee of NH Public Radio published a feature story about TRRE. Follow this link and read or listen to the full article at  NHPR White Mountain Regional High School Students at work with a TRRE Teaching Resident (Photo Courtesy of Daniela Allee, NHPR) The NHPR story illustrates how the design of TRRE's teacher residency program is specific to the context of place. Rural students work on a survival project using local natural resources, teaching residents value the small community, and TRRE fills a need within the community to build the capacity of highly-qualified teachers in rural NH.