My Students

This project includes 20 7th/8th grade students and 3 teachers who will receive professional development. Our students have great difficulty understanding ocean concepts because they have never visited an ocean beach. This project will provide opportunities for them to get answers to their questions when they visit the Center for Marine and Education Research in Gulfport, Mississippi, to participate in relevant, hands-on learning at a three-day Sea Camp conducted by the University of Mississippi in coordination with CMERS.

Our school is a small rural public school in Arkansas.

Much of the school district lies in a remote mountain range far from cities or major bodies of water (ocean). Students who ride the bus to school from this remote area are on the bus over three hours every school day (90 minutes each way). Our school had approximately 78 percent of the students receiving free or reduced lunches during 2011-12, so this year all students receive meals at no charge. Many families receive income from farming (cattle, chickens or timber) or from farming-related occupations. According to the 2010 census, the per capita income was $14,710 with only 52.3 percent of the population employed. This project is needed to provide opportunities for student learning that cannot be met in the classroom. The Gulf Coast studies includes snorkeling underwater adventures, a fossil dig, and hands-on exploration of freshwater turtles, horseshoe crabs, sea stars, sting rays, blue crabs, sea urchins, dolphins, etc.

My Project

This project is needed to provide opportunities for student learning and to promote environmental stewardship. With about 3/4 of our planet covered with water, the study of oceanography is vital to student understanding. Students who have never even seen the ocean have tremendous difficulty understanding the vastness and biodiversity in this ecosystem. After learning about oceanography in a classroom setting, the students will prepare a list of questions they would like answered relating to oceanography. Topics covered by classroom curricula include Earth's Oceans, The Ocean Floor, Life In The Ocean, Resources From The Ocean, Ocean Pollution, Currents, Waves, Tides, Careers Relating to Oceanography, Environmental Problems and Solutions. Related labs include Biodiversity, Oil Spills, Red Tides, Using Tides for Energy, Artificial Reefs and Strange Creatures of the Deep. After returning from Sea Camp, students will prepare a multi-media presentation to share with other students and classes, the School Board, parents, and others about their experience and the educational benefits of the trip. Careers in Oceanography will also be an area of emphasis; many students may consider these fields upon graduation from high school.

In order to achieve academic, personal and social success and reach their highest potential, students need to learn as much about their global environment as possible.

This project will help them gain REAL understanding of our global climate, careers relating to oceanography, ocean diversity, and stewardship of our planet. Please, please help make this happen for our students.