Chris Ripken

(USA) - Teacher Explorer, Team Member

Chris is a social studies teacher at the Centennial Senior High School in Minnesota.

A man of many interests, Chris' world centers around geography and exploration.
Before teaching geography for thirteen years at middle and high school levels, he worked with Habitat for Humanity in Tijuna, Tecate and Juarex in Mexico and led groups of youth and adults into the wilderness of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota. Tracing his ancestry led him to travel through Norway, Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. Chris is passionate about growing and learning, not least alongside his students.

Teaching with the mantra that 'if you want students to understand something, make it meaningful,' Chris always seek innovative ways to reach students in the classroom. Beyond using GoNorth! to expand the classroom walls for his students to gain a significant global perspective through collaboration and 'real world modeling,' Chris has also enjoyed using Firewise curriculum to teach students and parents how to minimize the threat of wildfires in the community through GIS and onsite assessments. Currently he is working with Lifeskills Center for Leadership in developing and implementing leadership/personal development tools for high school students.

A long time participant in the workshops and programs that the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education (MAGE) offered to K-12 Minnesota teachers, Chris joined the MAGE Steering Committee in 2004 and has enjoyed presenting to and working with other educators through workshops and other events such as the Geography Fair and GEOFEST, and will be the state representative for National Geographic Society's Geography Action program in 2009. __"Being selected as a Teacher Explorer for GoNorth! 2009 is the thrill of a lifetime for me and I look forward to all the excitement and challenges that await in Nunavut!," explains Chris.

"Being selected as the Teacher Explorer for GoNorth! 2009 is the thrill of a lifetime for me and I look forward to all the excitement and challenges that await in Nunavut!" says Chris.