December 2024
For 11 years, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries has recognized outstanding achievement by presenting the Sea to Shining Sea Award for Excellence in Interpretation and Education. The award recognizes success in advancing ocean and climate literacy and conservation through national marine sanctuaries. It also recognizes innovation and creative solutions to raising public awareness and appreciation of the National Marine Sanctuary System.
This year, the award is presented to Daniel Moffatt: 3rd Grade Get Into Your Sanctuary at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Immersive Experiences for Students
Immersive place-based experiences for youth can be impactful as they discover the wonder of their local national marine sanctuary and the way their lives are connected to it. One of the strategic goals of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is to utilize national marine sanctuaries as platforms for educating and engaging the public in ocean and Great Lakes stewardship and climate action. That’s why every year, sites across the National Marine Sanctuary System host Get Into Your Sanctuary in-person and virtual events. Moffatt’s 2024 program went above and beyond to help connect young people to the rich history that lies beneath the waves of Lake Huron.
Students who participated in the Third Grade Get Into Your Sanctuary program at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary had an immersive learning experience. They were able to participate in a multiple-visit, place-based elementary program where they toured a full-size replica schooner at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, sketched artifacts on waterproof paper, engaged in water-based activities, assembled and piloted underwater robots, and enjoyed a glass-bottom boat tour in the sanctuary. These multiple experiences are ideal ways to discover the role of the Great Lakes in Michigan and U.S. history through learning about significant local shipwrecks and their stories. Another goal was to help students broaden their understanding of history, environmental stewardship, and science and technology while inspiring them to further develop their skills and pursue careers in related fields.
Reaching Students
During the 2023–2024 school year, the program hosted 15 classrooms on 45 field trips, nine boat cruises, and a total of 399 students. Students not only came from local public schools but also rural community schools, a parochial school, and homeschool groups ensuring broad participation. Teachers appreciated the connection not only to the classroom, but also how it brought awareness to the depth of history in Lake Michigan and connections to the local area and even showed students possible career paths.
Thinking Outside the Box
To maximize the program’s impact while maintaining school budget efficiency, an innovative approach was used to share transportation and busing with fourth grade classrooms attending other field trips, by aligning their schedules with those of the third grade trips. This approach resulted in significant cost savings to the school. Moffatt was instrumental to the success of this program through his hard work in finalizing content, organizing schedules and transportation, and managing staff and volunteers to help execute the program. Sustained funding from the Walters Family Foundation also played a critical role in ensuring that these experiences were offered to each school at no cost.
Congratulations to Daniel Moffatt for his commitment to hard work in increasing the public’s accessibility to National Marine Sanctuary System education, and dedication to his local national marine sanctuary community.
Visit a National Marine Sanctuary!
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary—one of the many national marine sanctuaries around the country—protects a nationally significant collection of nearly 100 historic shipwrecks in Lake Huron off the Michigan coast. Through research, education, and community involvement, the sanctuary works to ensure future generations can enjoy these underwater treasures. Visitors can experience the rich history of the Great Lakes by exploring the exhibits at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. The visitor center, open all year, is located in historic downtown Alpena, Michigan along the Thunder Bay River. Admission is free of charge. Glass-bottom boat tours of the sanctuary are also available through partnerships with local vendors.
Tracy Hajduk is the national education coordinator at NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.