Monterey Bay Aquarium Receives a Three-year, $772,000 Grant From Nokia

By Angela Hains

Monterey, CA - Monterey Bay Aquarium has received a three-year, $772,000 grant from Nokia that will allow a significant expansion of the aquarium’s long-term environmental education partnership with Pajaro Valley Unified School District to bring the program to more high school students in the district.

The grant provides both funds and equipment for Watsonville Area Teens Conserving Habitats (WATCH) – a school year and summer program that includes in-class and experiential out-of-school activities for Watsonville/Pajaro Valley high school students.

With the grant from Nokia – a pioneer in mobile telecommunications and the world's leading maker of mobile devices – aquarium educators will be able to expand beyond the existing Pajaro Valley High School campus program to include Watsonville High School students as well.

The grant also enables the aquarium to provide professional development institutes for more than 500 teachers in the 19,000-student district over the next three years.

“We are very pleased to be able to work with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to foster youth development while contributing to the overall community development in this district,” said Michael Quesnell, Senior Manager, Community Involvement for Nokia. “This program is very appealing to Nokia, as it continues our tradition of assisting community projects that support young people and education. These programs have already benefited more than one million young people in 65 countries.”

“We are delighted to have earned the support of Nokia for our innovative WATCH program,” said Cynthia Vernon, vice president of education and conservation programs for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. “WATCH has changed the lives of young people and the community at large in the Pajaro Valley. With Nokia’s support, we’ll be able to achieve so much more.”

“This is the perfect partnership,” said Catherine Hatch, assistant superintendent of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. “Our students and teachers will have an incredible opportunity to combine the technological magic of Nokia with the brilliant educational programming offered by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. They’ve already benefitted from the environmental field work, leadership opportunities and relationships built though this partnership. The addition of Nokia technology, and support of professional development for teachers through this grant, will truly be a ‘capstone’ opportunity to enhance our students’ academic achievement.”

WATCH was created to complement the regular school curriculum, build leadership and job skills among participants, and provide opportunities for students to engage in conservation projects in the Pajaro Valley. In addition to in-school and field studies for WATCH students, the entire freshman high school class attends free programs at the aquarium each year.

Teens in the WATCH program have completed several conservation projects involving wetlands habitats in the Pajaro Valley and have presented their work at regional and national forums, including a National Student Summit on Oceans and Coasts in Washington, DC. One student earned a full scholarship to take part in an Antarctic science expedition this coming winter.

All WATCH students can receive college scholarships from the aquarium when they graduate.

The WATCH program, developed in full partnership with the school district, connects young people to significant natural habitats in their neighborhood, enhances their science and English-language learning, and empowers them to create positive change within their families and community.

With support from Nokia, aquarium educators will be able to work directly with more than 1,200 high school students in Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley, and with more than 500 district teachers through the aquarium’s Teacher Professional Development Institutes. These teachers, in turn, will use their new science education skills for the benefit of students throughout the district.

The Nokia grant also supports outreach efforts that will touch more than 7,000 community members at popular Family Science Nights and other activities.

“This program is a vital part of our long-term commitment to foster marine and coastal conservation in the Watsonville/Pajaro Valley area,” Vernon said.

WATCH is offered free of charge to participants, with the support of businesses, foundations and individual donors. The WATCH program is supported in part by grants from Bank of America, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the California Coastal Commission’s Whale Tail Grant Program.

In 2009, the Monterey Bay Aquarium celebrates 25 years of inspiring conservation of the oceans.

Photo: The aquarium's three story Kelp Forest is the centerpiece of the Ocean's Edge galleries. © Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder 

To view Monterey Bay Aquarium's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-560-Monterey_Bay_Aquarium