Prep students impressed by CCMI trip
Cayman Prep students at the Little Cayman Research Centre
(CNS): At Cayman Prep and High School’s end-of-year ceremony held in June, more than half of the year six students pointed to their participation in the Central Caribbean Marine Institute’s (CCMI) marine ecology course when asked to recall their most important memory of primary school. The young people spent three days at CCMI’s Little Cayman Research Centre learning about marine ecology, sustainability and conservation.
Each year, the LCRC welcomes K-12 students to take part in the course in which they take classes on fish identification, as well as coral reefs and their symbiotic relationships with sea grass and mangroves, pollution and sustainability.
“They also take part in a beach clean-up,” said Carrie Bee, Prep’s head of year six, who attended the programme with her students. “It is an integral part of the course and gives the students the opportunity to contribute to the well-being of our islands.”
As well as an educational experience, the trip to Little Cayman often marks an independent milestone in the children’s lives, with many of them having never been away from home without their parents.
“It’s definitely a big step towards being responsible,” said Bee. “This is an important part of their development.”
Dr Carrie Manfrino, president of CCMI, said she was pleased with the feedback, and that the institute had ideas to be developed over the next few years. She stressed that CCMI remains keen on achieving its goal for every child to become ocean literate.
“There is still a lot to do,” she said. “But we have an exceptional education team on the ground. I can totally understand how the children will fall in love with the ocean as a result of CCMI’s command performance.”
Category: Marine Environment, Schools
