Marines program selects teacher

Christy Henslee
Christy Henslee

The United States Marine Corps is known across the world for its Marines who serve to protect our country. They offer many opportunities for those who wish to serve, primarily reaching out to students looking to further their career in the USMC.

They have also reached out to educators through their Educators Workshop, a camp designed for educators to further their knowledge of team building, as well as many other crucial classroom skills.

Christy Henslee of Pine Bluff is one of only 15 educators selected for the workshop. Henslee is an educator at White Hall High School, where she teaches accelerated biology, human anatomy and physiology and AP biology.

She taught previously at Watson Chapel High School for nine years and has been with White Hall High School for five years.

"I was shocked and honored to have been nominated for the Educators Workshop with the USMC. Only 15 spots are available. Once I was nominated, there was an application process that I completed," Henslee said.

She was nominated by Sgt. Stanley Wright, who is a local Marine recruiter.

"Sgt. Wright is a frequent guest in my classroom, not just as a recruiter. He brings 'real life' lessons to my students and is a wonderful motivator and mentor," Henslee said. "If it were not for him, I would not be participating in this program."

Henslee will travel to the Marine Corps base in San Diego to attend the camp. Her family is well-rooted in the military, and military history has always been a source of fascination and interest for her.

"Traveling and visiting historical places like Pearl Harbor, Ground Zero in NYC, The Alamo, USS Intrepid, USS Razorback [and the USS Missouri] have all been places that interested me and I learned a great deal about each of the significance to U.S. history," she said.

Henslee also has a background in nursing, life science and journalism. Her main focus has always been team building, STEM research and project-based learning. She served as a cardiovascular intensive care nurse at CHI St. Vincent before she went on to serve as a rheumatology nurse at Jefferson Regional Medical Center. She served there for more than five years before finding her place in the classroom.

Team building and project-based thinking have always been constants in Henslee's classroom. Using her own experiences to further her students' knowledge is something she plans to continue to implement into her curriculum.

"I hope to come away with new team building skills, an appreciation for military training as well as life on a Marine base," Henslee said. "I want to be able to bring back knowledge to pass on to my students about available opportunities, like the military. My hope is that my experience will be an inspiration in some way for my students. I am constantly thinking about ways to incorporate my experiences into my classroom, ways to reach or impact my students, so I am very hopeful that this will be no different," Henslee said.

For more information on the USMC and their programs, visit https://www.marines.mil/.

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