Four months after becoming the National winner of the BT Primary Teacher of the Year, 2005, Trevelyan May set off on a sixteen day fact finding mission to Antarctica, the last unspoiled wilderness on earth. His plan was to see for himself the impact of climate change on our environment and then return with his findings to help local youngsters understand the issues.

Teacher cool after polar expedition

Trevelyn May is quite happy to downplay how he came to be invited to accompany explorer Sir Robert Swans International Antarctic Expedition back in February this year.

I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, he says. The fact that I was asked to go on the trip was just an amazingly fortunate spin-off from winning the BT Teaching Award.

Sir Roberts team was looking for primary teachers to join the expedition. They had to be young, energetic and interested in geography and the environment. When asked to recommend potential candidates, the people running the Teaching Awards thought of me. And because they did, I ended up embarking on a completely life-changing experience.

Trevelyan, then of Loseley Fields Primary School in Godalming, Surrey, was presented with the BT Award for Teacher of the Year in a Primary School in October last year. Since winning, he has been given many opportunities to write articles, contribute to books, and to appear on Teachers TV and Radio Five Live. Later this year he is off to learn about teaching in South Africa.

But being offered a place on the Antarctic trip has been the highlight so far since winning the award.

The expedition has given me perspective in life and perhaps I have lost some of the nervous energy I used to have, says Trevelyan.

Antarctica is so pure, fresh and uncomplicated. Its like a mirror. You look into that mirror and you see your life unobstructed. The pressures of work are filtered out and the real things that matter - family, friends and peace - are focused upon.

Trevalyans trip began on February 25th when he and 79 others including journalists, entrepreneurs, fellow teachers and students flew to the worlds southern-most city, Ushuaia in Argentina.

There we divided up into teams and I was placed in the education team. Our aim was to develop curriculum materials, set up a website and help build the Ebase (education base) thats being constructed on King George Island. Antarctica, explains Trevelyan.

The resources we produced are being used in schools in order to help raise awareness of the beauty of Antarctica and its fragile ecosystem. They will also help to highlight some of the potential threats to the continent because of its oil reserves and because of rising temperatures globally.

He continues: The treaty that currently protects Antarctica is reviewed in 2041 and we must educate children so that when the time comes, the treaty is extended and Antarctica is left alone as a place of natural and scientific interest.

After two days in Ushaia, the team set sail across the Drake passage and spent the next ten days in Antarctica.

The key learnings during the trip for me were the fragility of the Antarctica ecosystems, its profound beauty and the power people have to change things when they put their mind to it, adds Trevelyan. Sir Robert Swan was an inspiration and his accomplishments are outstanding. Not just his record-breaking feats, but the work he has done to improve the planet and raise aspirations of people around the world.

Since returning from Antarctica in March, Trevalyan has written several articles about the trip and has appeared at many assemblies in other schools to discuss his remarkable adventure. He communicates key messages from the expedition to children using some of the photographs and video footage taken while in Antarctica.

This trip has been a fantastic 'hands on' opportunity to learn about the importance of preserving and protecting the environment which, I can pass onto my students, he adds. After all it is the future generations that we need to educate. The possible politicians of the future, and I know I have a few potentials in my class.

Says Trevelyan, I always end with the think global act local message reminding children of what they can do in their own lives that will lessen their environmental footprints and in effect, reduce global emissions and the need for energy production.

The education team from the expedition are still working on the website which will soon be available as a compelling resource for other teachers upon completion.

Concludes Trevalyan: Thanks to being offered a place on the International Antarctic Expedition I have been able to witness the most beautiful landscape and animals first hand. Ive met some amazing people and Ive been inspired to change my life for the better. Most of all Ive been given an opportunity to educate young people about a critical subject that is now very close to my heart. None of this would have really been possible without my BT Teaching Award which has given me such a lot of satisfaction and pride.

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