From Jan. 6-12, Ms. Jeanine Ging, sixth grade science and math teacher, got the opportunity to study monarchs in Mexico.

Ms. Ging got an award titled the Monarch Butterfly Scholarship Grant. The organizations that hosted this scholarship are the Natural Habitat Adventures and World Wildlife Fund. Ms. Ging went to a place called El Rosario Butterfly Sanctuary to see the monarchs. Only four teachers got the opportunity to go on this trip. She filled out an online application to compete for this award. When Ms. Ging made it to the final round for the trip, she had to send out a video about why she wanted this opportunity. She ended up winning this award.

“My favorite part of my experience in Mexico was the first view of the monarch clusters in the trees,” Ms. Jeanine Ging, sixth-grade math and science teacher and monarch enthusiast, said. “It was hard to believe that so many of them could be in one place.”  

Ms. Ging went to Michoacan, Mexico. She visited Mexico City, Angangueo, and Jungapeo. 

“Most of these places I was at were at high altitudes in the mountains,” Ms. Ging said. Ms. Ging spent a total of seven days studying monarchs at many different locations in Mexico. She liked the vegetarian food options in Mexico.

“I really liked the squash blossom tortilla,” Ms. Ging said. 

“I did so many interesting things on my trip,” Ms. Ging said. She got to see three different pyramids, ride a horse through the mountains, tour local towns, and visit a botanical garden with the largest display of non-religious stained glass. Ms. Ging has been to Mexico once before to go scuba diving at the beach.

We look forward to hearing more stories about Ms. Ging’s amazing experience in Mexico.