From March 12 to 15, students enrolled in AP Environmental Science, AP Biology and Oceanography joined together to explore all that Key Largo, Florida, had to offer about environmental conservation and marine biology.
Throughout the four-day trip, 45 students participated in hands-on learning experiences such as snorkeling at coral reefs, microplastic labs and swimming with manatees.
“Learning about the different species of corals and how species interact with each other was my favorite part of the entire trip,” junior Elise Amde-Delattre said. “Coral bleaching was especially interesting, because I was exposed to more interactive activities than just learning in a classroom setting.”
MarineLab, an educational organization based in Florida, enabled McLean’s trip.
“It was really fascinating to learn through MarineLab because they were extremely engaging and interactive,” Amde-Delattre said. “It was my first time seeing all the [marine species] in real life, and MarineLab played a large role in supplementing my knowledge.”
For many, the diverse and hands-on curriculum allowed students to explore learning opportunities beyond the classroom for the first time.
“What I think is wonderful [about the program is that] you do have classrooms and labs in the curriculum, but as soon as they show you learn something through a slideshow, they take you out to the ocean, and there it is, nature right outside to explore that you literally saw on the screen,” AP Biology teacher Julia Murdock said.
The suburban environment of McLean represents a stark difference from the close, tight-knit community of Key Largo. By learning to contrast the two, many gained greater awareness of and care for environmental conservation and modern-world climate issues.
“I’ve always known that there were environmental problems that existed in the world, but going to [Key Largo] and seeing the coral being bleached and the state of the animals really opened my eyes differently,” junior Celina Lee said. “It touched me in a way that made me really want to change and help the environmental issues going on in the world.”
