Initiative helps local educators bring place-based learning to the Long Island Sound

Five Islands Park is a living laboratory. Training teachers and giving them the tools to use the shoreline with their students is a key part of making marine place-based education possible.”

— Raya Salter, EJLPC

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, September 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — This past weekend, New Rochelle educators took learning to the shoreline during a hands-on marine ecology workshop at Five Islands Park. The Long Island Sound Mentor Teacher Workshop, held Sept. 12th, gave educators direct experience with field-based activities they can use with students. Participants collected and classified marine organisms and kayaked in Echo Bay.

The program was funded through New York Sea Grant and the Long Island Sound Partnership. It was held in collaboration with the Energy Justice Law & Policy Center (EJLPC) New Rochelle Eco-Ambassadors. The goal was not simply to introduce educators to the park. It was to help them use the Long Island Sound as a resource for place-based learning.

FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE COAST
Place-based education connects learning to the environment and community around students. For the Five Islands Park, the shoreline can serve as a living laboratory for marine ecology, water quality, biodiversity, and coastal resilience. The workshop focused specifically on educators interested in local ecosystems, outdoor learning, and hands-on teaching resources.

“One of the most valuable parts of the workshop was experiencing the Sound the way we want our students to experience it,” said Carmen Glenn, New Rochelle High School teacher and workshop facilitator. “We were outside, asking questions, collecting information, and seeing the ecosystem up close.”

“Students do not have to travel far away to study ecology,” said Jonathan La Rosa, New Rochelle High School teacher and workshop facilitator. “There is so much they can learn right here in New Rochelle. This workshop gave us practical ideas for bringing that kind of learning to our students.”

GROWING SHORELINE EDUCATION AT FIVE ISLANDS
The workshop builds on a model being developed through the New Rochelle Eco-Ambassadors, a six-week marine science summer learn-and-earn program for New Rochelle high school students, a program also led by Jonathan La Rosa and Carmen Glenn.

“Five Islands is a living laboratory for our Eco-Ambassadors,” said Raya Salter, Founder and Executive Director of EJLPC. “We want to build on that model. Training teachers and giving them the tools to use the shoreline with their students is a key part of making that possible.”

The workshop is part of a broader effort by the EJLPC, the Eco-Ambassadors, and community partners to expand shoreline education at Five Islands Park.
That work will continue as plans advance for a Coastal Education & Resilience Center at the park. EJLPC and its partners are already developing programs, engaging educators, and creating more opportunities for students and families to learn from the Long Island Sound.

ABOUT THE ENERGY JUSTICE LAW & POLICY CENTER
The Energy Justice Law & Policy Center is a New Rochelle-based nonprofit working in environmental education, community engagement, and climate and environmental policy. Eco-Ambassadors are supported by the Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund.

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Raya Salter
Energy Justice Law & Policy Center
www.EJLPC.org
raya@ejlpc.org

Raya Salter
Energy Justice Law and Policy Center
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Eco Ambassador Luis Operates Sonar Boat at Five Islands Park

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