In honor of Kate & Jenna Shute and their award winning piece, “Deep Sea Water World,” O’Neill Sea Odyssey will present an enlarged mounted copy of the artwork to both Happy Valley Elementary and Bank of America, who provided funding for Miss Frier’s class.
The four honorable mention winners include: Ariel Taylor (grade 6), of Mountain Elementary in Soquel, CA; Jack Galbo (grade 5) of Mountain Elementary; Sienna Walczak (grade 5) of Live Oak Elementary in Live Oak, CA; and Ruby Beye (grade 6) of Mountain Elementary. These six students will all receive recognition through OSO’s web blog, social media and newsletter.
Their artwork will also be exhibited in the OSO classrooms.
The Ocean Steward Art Contest is an opportunity for students in grades 4-6, who have participated in the O’Neill Sea Odyssey program, to creatively interpret the watershed, marine and/or stewardship themes learned while attending OSO. The contest is held annually and encourages students to further consider the lessons and experiences of the program. Additionally, it is an opportunity for OSO and its Board to connect with, recognize and award the stewardship efforts of the students, teachers, schools and communities. To learn more go to: www.oneillseaodyssey.org/blog.
O’Neill Sea Odyssey was incorporated in 1996 by wetsuit innovator and surfer Jack O’Neill as a nonprofit organization to provide unique ecology, navigation, and marine science learning experiences to regional students in grades 4-6.
Since this time, more than 85,000 students have participated in the three-hour, hands-on learning program aboard the 65-foot Team O’Neill catamaran in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and follow-up lessons in the Education Center at the Santa Cruz Harbor. The program is free to students; however, each participating class is required to perform a community service project.
The primary purpose of the program is to foster awareness of environmental stewardship and personal responsibility among program participants. This is done by delivering an interactive curriculum that emphasizes the connections between land and sea through a multi-disciplinary approach including ecology, biology, and mathematics.
