20 high school students are back from a 5 day Ecology trip. The students went to Calabash Caye to learn how to dissect a lionfish and how to search for and monitor dolphins among other activities. While for most people these are abstract experiments, the instructor told us today that it's more than just marveling at nature and marine life- it's about learning how and why it's important to protect it.
Jaen Nieto, Instructor
"The idea is to expose them to the marine environment and through hands on experience, learn about it and raise awareness about it. Because without knowing what surrounding us, the importance of nature, how everything is interconnected, the impact that we have as humans, if we are not aware of that we can't create any change. It's just to raise awareness."
Ingrid Acosta, Head of Science Dept. SCA
"Our EPI course was as a result of our science fair that we held earlier this year in January. Two of our groups were sponsored by SMART. We had up and down tomato who won the prize. So the rest of the group are made up of 3rd formers who had just finish the ecology unit of the course. So this experience was very rewarding for them and they got to apply what they had learnt in class."
Raquel Soler, SCA Student
"I've never been to Calabash Caye and my experience was rewarding and I had a lot of fun and I got to learn a lot of new things about the sea and the marine life."
Courtney Weatherburne
"What are some of those new things?"
Raquel Soler, SCA Student
"I got to learn about the coral reef how it helps us. Like with fishermen who go and fish there and it's a home for the fisheries and a spot for them to feed and how we affect the reef. Like with the flood that happened a few weeks ago, with the garbage that was in the city, it washed up and got to the coral reef and that can be very harmful to some of the animals."
Brittney Castillo, SCA student
"I learn a lot taking science as my major. I've learn about the marine life. I really enjoyed it working with the instructors, my classmates - while I learn of how we humans affect the corals which is a very bad thing."
The students will each come up with a proposal based on their experience.
Email
Print