Her suggestion quickly inspired teachers and volunteers at the school. Joanne Menard, the school's media specialist, wrote several grants to pay for materials and teacher training. The program emphasizes ecology and preservation. Students in kindergarten through sixth grade focus on a different marine environment. One class may study the rocky shore while another learns about islands.
Activities vary depending on age.
The ocean theme even extends to the art room. Students painted fish and sea creatures onto white T-shirts, and decorated their classrooms with ocean themes. Another highlight is guest speakers who are experts in marine biology. Eric Hochberg, curator of the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, directed the octopus dissection. This is where the story abstract goes.