Who:Canterbury School of Florida teachers and students, Southwest Florida Water Management District staff, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Coast Guard, the Pinellas County Science Center and Tampa Bay Watch
What:The Canterbury School of Florida is celebrating the grand opening of the Marine Studies Education Center at its Knowlton campus.
District staff will be among the guest speakers. The school received a Splash! mini-grant for a project that focused on learning about native plants and invasive species. The students used this knowledge to plant a Florida-friendly garden on campus to improve the water quality within their watershed. The school also received a mini-grant for a water conservation project.
The Marine Studies Education Center features a learning laboratory with classroom space, a weather station, a laptop lab and interactive SMART boards as well as a kayak fleet and an aquarium touch tank. Some of the teaching tools at the center, including a groundwater model and an Enviroscape Drinking Water & Wastewater Treatment model, were acquired through District grants.
When:Friday, Sept. 19, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., ribbon cutting at 8:25 a.m.
District student demonstrations 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.Where:Canterbury School of Florida, 990 62nd Ave. NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33702
District Contact:Mary Margaret Hull, 800-423-1476, ext. 4774 or (352) 279-3473
Marine Studies Education Center Grand Opening
•The Marine Studies at Canterbury is a comprehensive, school-wide program for students in prekindergarten through 12th-grade, focusing on all aspects of environmental education and how it related to marine and freshwater habitats.
•The Marine Studies Program benefits from relationships with many local resource organizations including the District, Tampa Bay Watch, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Eckerd College and the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida.
•The Marine Studies Education Center features a learning laboratory with classroom space, a weather station, a laptop lab and interactive SMART boards, as well as a kayak fleet and an aquarium touch tank.
•Some of the teaching tools at the center, including a groundwater model and an Enviroscape Drinking Water & Wastewater Treatment model, were acquired through District grants.
•Grand Opening Agenda
8 a.m. Ceremony, Kenyon Field House
8:25 a.m. Ribbon Cutting, Marine Studies Education Center
8:45 a.m. -10:45 a.m. Lower School Marine Studies Activities
12 p.m. -1:30 p.m. Middle School Marine Studies Activities
1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m. Upper School Marine Studies Activities
District Youth Education Program
•Each year the District offers Splash! mini-grants to educators interested in securing grant funding for classroom projects that focus on water quality, natural systems, water conservation, alternative water sources, flood protection or watersheds.
•Splash! mini-grants provide up to $5,000 per school on a reimbursement basis only and are available to public, private and home school teachers.
•The District also offers educators free teacher training workshops, speakers for classroom presentations and free educational materials.
•For more information about the District’s youth education outreach, please call Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, at 1-800-423-1476, ext. 4774.