A total of 51 children graduated from the annual Coral Reef Ed-Ventures Summer Camp on Thursday, July 12th at the Angel Nuñez Auditorium. The special graduation ceremony recognized the participants as Coral Reef Experts after they successfully completed the educational summer program that started on June 25th.
The graduation ceremony took place shortly after 7PM, with participants presenting their projects to invited guests and their parents. Afterwards, everyone was treated to a presentation on Wallie the whale shark that travelled around the seas in search for food. During his trek, he noticed how the oceans in other parts of the planet are filled with trash and other pollutants. The story ends when the Wallie returns home to Belize and tells everyone about his adventure. Thereafter, they were presented with their awards recognizing them as Kids Coral Experts. This recognition is considered a monumental achievement for the children who are awarded for becoming quite knowledgeable about the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (BBRRS).
During the summer camp, children learned how important it is to protect the natural marine environment around Ambergris Caye. Some of the activities included mangrove observation, field trips to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and an arts and craft project depicting the marine environment around the island. Participants also enjoyed a couple of films, emphasizing the importance of marine preservation.
Coral Reef Ed-Ventures is a yearly collaboration between students from Smith College in Massachusetts, United States of America and the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. As every year, participants are separated into two groups: Juniors, aged 6-12, and Advanced, aged 12-18. During the camp, children learned about ecologic conservation and the BBRRS.
The organizers of Coral Reef Ed-Ventures would like to thank everyone on the island who assisted in making the camp possible this year. The San Pedro Sun congratulates all participants and the six students from Smith College, Dana Vera, Emiline Koopman, Liz Nagy, Katherine Akey, Aidan Coffin Ness, and Carla Schwartz, who volunteered their time for the benefit of the children on Ambergris Caye.
