CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Integrated Oceans Program at Flour Bluff ISD is making learning immersive, inclusive, and fun!
The program is about different wildlife that call the Coastal Bend home and their environment. This program is something that’s been in place at the district already, but only for 5th through 12th grade students.
Thanks to a grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife every student in the district will have the opportunity to join in on the fun.
Intermediate Oceans Teacher Katie Doyle knows firsthand the impact taking those lessons outside can have on students.
“The students learn so much when they come out here,” said Doyle. “Everything from basics about scuba diving or what do you even see when you go to the wetlands, all the way down to how to go fishing and how to go kayaking.”
Not only will more students be able to join in on the fun, so will more teachers, like Steven Dial who teaches Coastal Explorers at the junior high.
“It’s really exciting for me and the kids to be able to get out of the classroom on a weekly or even daily basis and go out and explore and point things out to them and they get a much better feel for what’s out there,” said Dial.
Second grade teacher Marisa Flores is also looking forward to this program expanding.
“We were lacking resources we were lacking the adult help and sponsorship from each other in the grade levels and now we have made plans already in this grant so that the younger students will be bussed over, and older students can walk,” said Flores.
Much of the learning taking place conveniently in the district’s backyard.
“We’re literally walking distance just a couple hundred yards from a wide-open pond with all different kind of habitats,” said Dial.
The grant will also help the district get more equipment which means more experiences.
“We’re gonna be adding a ton of kayaks, paddle boards, fishing equipment so we’re really gonna start expanding our efforts,” said Dial. “Not just here at the wetlands but moving out into other areas of the Coastal Bend.”
The teachers are excited not just to share their passion with students, but to see them grow
“Imagine the pre-k students that come out and then every year they get to learn and build on all those things that are Texas essential knowledge and skill related,” said Flores. “By the time they get to science in high school they are going to have a really great foundation.
The program opening doors for even more cool field trips for the district and the first one will take place this month.
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