Maryland Teachers of the Year will embark this week on a three-day cruise from Crisfield City Dock aboard the Captain Jason II to Smith Island Education Center.

The Teachers of the Year, representing 19 out of 24 counties, will participate in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's (CBF) education program, presented by Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems, to explore Smith Island's wetlands, tidal flats, grass beds, and study how the livelihoods of watermen are connected to the Bay. The retreat will provide educators with hands-on field experiences and training to carry back into the classrooms for meaningful student learning.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is a not-for-profit conservation organization existing solely to restore the Chesapeake Bay. Through hands-on field experiences and sustained training programs, CBF is connecting watershed citizens to the Chesapeake Bay in order to heighten awareness, increase knowledge, and encourage stewardship actions to protect and restore the Bay and its local rivers and streams.

WHO:   2007-2008 Teachers of the Year

WHEN:   Arrive/Depart: Wednesday, October 10, 2007 -- 10:30 a.m.
             Return: Friday, October 12, 2007 -- 12:30 p.m.

WHERE:  Aboard Captain Jason II
              Somers Cove Marina - Crisfield City Dock
              715 Broadway (end of Route 413)
              Crisfield, Maryland