Educators from across Manatee County are beginning the school year with new knowledge and classroom tools for teaching marine science and ocean conservation.
Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota provided the perfect venue for summer learning and professional development.
Training was provided by Betty Bergnes, a former teacher, who is the Director of Education & Outreach at Guy Harvey Foundation (GHF).
The goal of GHF and its education initiative is to get kids excited about our oceans and make them responsible stewards of our planet.
The backdrop for Monday’s session inside the Keating Marine Education Building was the blue-green waters of Sarasota Bay.
After getting to know each other, teachers were split into two groups by grade level, elementary (K-5) and secondary (6-12).
The elementary group tested fun classroom activities: creating art by using paint and bubble wrap, and making stamps with a wooden block and colorful foam.
Using string, plastic cups and blue water, the secondary teachers learned about adhesion and cohesion, which is how water molecules interact with each other.
Both groups loved the idea of using simple objects to create a fun classroom learning environment.
Teachers also analyzed Dr. Guy Harvey’s artwork and shared their observations.
The bright images of mahi-mahi, blue marlin and other marine wildlife adorn his signature t-shirt designs, which have been popular since the 1990’s.
After a tour of the marine aquarium, the teachers stepped into their water shoes and walked into Sarasota Bay with dip nets.
They brought many creatures back on land to analyze and temporarily display in water-filled containers with guidance from Mote experts.
There were many shrimp, a pygmy sea horse and a pregnant pipefish.
In December 2022, the School District of Manatee County and GHF opened the first-ever Guy Harvey Academy of Arts & Science at Anna Maria Elementary School.
The STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) curriculum draws on Dr. Harvey’s real life experiences as a marine biologist to guide students as they learn science and math through an art lens.
It’s a pathway program that now feeds into King Middle School and Manatee High School.
Others teachers who attended Monday's session will bring elements of what they learned into their classrooms at Abel, Bayshore, Gullett, Manatee, Oneco, Palma Sola, Willis and Witt Elementary Schools.
For more information about the Guy Harvey Foundation, please visit their website.
Special thanks to Curriculum Specialist Amber Platowski, Curriculum Coordinator Susan Smucker and their team, for organizing this engaging event.