A Waimanalo teacher has been chosen by the National Geographic for a fellowship that will take him on an expedition to the Arctic, where he expects to see snow for the first time.

Blade Shepherd-Jones, a sixth-and-eighth-grade science teacher at Waimanalo Elementary and Intermediate School, was among 45 educators from the United States and Canada chosen out of hundreds of applicants as this year’s Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellows.

The professional development program is designed for pre-K-12 educators, who set out on various global expeditions for a “life-changing, field-based experience” aboard Linblad ships to bring back to their classrooms.

In June, Shepherd-Jones, who was born and raised in Kailua, will board the National Geographic Explorer with two other teachers on a journey to Svalbard, where he will work with Lindblad-National Geographic experts to study and document Arctic wildlife, geology and culture.

He called it a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity.

“I feel very fortunate,” said Shepherd-Jones in a news release. “My goal is to connect Svalbard, a group of islands in the middle of nowhere, to Hawaii, also made up of islands in the middle of nowhere, and compare and contrast their differences. I look forward to bringing back my experiences and what I’ve learned to my students, demystifying the Arctic region to them and showing how interconnected we really are.”

Before applying for the fellowship, the 35-year-old Shepherd-Jones and other teachers completed the National Geographic Educator Certification, a free professional development program for educators committed to inspiring the next generation of scientists, explorers, educators and storytellers.

In April, he and other fellows participated in a hands-on, pre-expedition workshop at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., that covered photography, video editing, outreach planning and public speaking.

Shepherd-Jones incorporates the principles of Philosophy for Children with his students, an approach that engages them in self-inquiry and dialogue.

In a recent hands-on project, his students examined the impacts of Great Pacific Garbage Patch and marine debris, on animals native to Hawaii and their own beachfront communities. Students organized beach cleanups, and then used debris they collected to create sculptures of the animals affected by the pollution.

He is also an avid scuba diver who serves as a lieutenant in the United States Coast Guard Reserve.

“I don’t want to be stagnant as a teacher,” said Shepherd-Jones. “I’m always looking for new opportunities to make my teaching better or more relevant, and this is a great way to get fresh ideas.”

Follow Shepherd-Jones’ journey on Instagram @21abovetheequator and National Geographic’s Education Blog.