Elementary, middle and high school students, teachers and the communities of 10 public schools in urban and suburban areas will comprise the new Long Island Sound Schools network, committing to the protection of local watersheds, the Sound and our one global ocean.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2024-2025 Long Island Sound Schools network. Download the application flier here.
With funding by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Long Island Sound Study and facilitated by Connecticut Sea Grant and Mercy University, the program supports schools that implement a school or community-based project and create a plan to increase ocean literacy by engaging students, families and the public.
All the schools are located within the Long Island Sound watershed, from inland areas with waterways that flow into the estuary to shoreline communities. Program funding will provide stipends for lead teachers at each school and up to $5,000 per school to implement projects. The schools will also have access to a network of educators, connections with scientists, community organizations and stewardship sites, and possible travel funds for conference presentations.
“We have all been inspired by a teacher who has opened our minds to new possibilities and ambitions,” said Mark A. Tedesco, director of the EPA’s Long Island Sound Office. “The new Long Island Sound Schools network will support schools, teachers, and students in learning about Long Island Sound and actively engaging in its protection and conservation.”
The project began with a kick-off meeting of member schools on Jan. 4. The schools will be implementing their projects through Aug. 15, as well as planning a student symposium and teacher retreat.
“The Long Island Sound Schools network builds on more than 20 years of success with the Long Island Sound Mentor Teacher program,” said Diana Payne, CT Sea Grant education coordinator. “It’s the next logical step—from fostering educators to incorporate Long Island Sound into their curriculum at the classroom level and expanding it to the school and community level.”
The program is modeled on the National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Administration’s (NOAA) Ocean Guardian Schools and the international Blue Schools network.
“This project is a wonderful opportunity for school communities to strengthen their connection to Long Island Sound and our global ocean, inspiring the next generation of ocean stewards,” said Meghan Marrero, professor of secondary science education and co-director of the Center for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education at Mercy University in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. Payne and Marrero are co-leaders of the project.
For information about the program, contact Diana Payne at: diana.payne@uconn.edu; Meghan Marrero at: mmarrero3@mercy.edu.
Long Island Sound takes center stage in NY, CT classrooms
From the Bronx, Long Island and Westchester County in New York, to Connecticut’s hilly northwest corner and southeastern shoreline, elementary, middle and high schools students have been immersed in learning about Long Island Sound, the estuary that connects the two states.
During the 2023-2024 school year, six schools in Connecticut and four in New York were chosen for the newly formed Long Island Sound Schools Network. Funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Long Island Sound Study, the program provides funding and teacher stipends to support innovative learning projects that focus on the Sound and its watershed, marine life and the global ocean. The network is facilitated by Connecticut Sea Grant and Mercy University. Read the full story here.
East Lyme student-scientists use grant to explore marine ecosystem, wildlife
On May 30, 58 student-scientists from Flanders Elementary School's first grade spent the day investigating the ocean and its wildlife at Rocky Neck State Park in Niantic. Throughout the field trip, students took pictures of the beach on iPads, learned the importance of wetlands protection and viewed ocean wildlife in jars. Before leaving, the scientists discussed their experience discovering the ocean. Read the full story by Terell Wright, published in The Day on May 31, 2024, here.
Grant helps raise awareness of water pollution for Torrington students. ‘It all goes to the ocean’
TORRINGTON — Teachers Jamie Mack and Catherine Haase want their students at Torrington High School to know that what happens in their backyards doesn’t always stay in their backyards. Ground water, aquifers, and waterways here can affect the sea, although the nearest beach on the Sound is some 50 miles away. Read the article that ran in the March 18 edition of the Register Citizen here.
Trumbull High students work to help preserve Long Island Sound
Photo: Hearst Connecticut Media
Anna Smith and almost 70 of her classmates are participating in a new project designed to improve ocean literacy and advocate for marine life by helping to preserve the Long Island Sound. The project was made possible by a grant Trumbull High School recently received, as part of being picked as a Long Island Sound School. Trumbull is one of 10 in a network of schools dedicated to educating students on the importance of taking care of the environment.
Read the article from the Feb. 24, 2024 Connecticut Post here.
Making Waves: schools set sail with Long Island Sound Schools project
Learn how Mercy University Professor Meghan Marrero's childhood love of the sea helped pave the way for the creation of the Long Island Sound Schools network with CT Sea Grant Education Coordinator Diana Payne in this article from The Impact, a publication of Mercy University: https://theimpactnews.com/news/2024/02/12/making-waves-schools-set-sail-with-long-island-sound-project/