TACOMA, Wash. - It starts with a lesson on how to pull in and coil the lines and ends with a notebook full of maritime memories.
A coalition of groups is sponsoring a new maritime education program which launched today in Tacoma.
Middle school students competed for the chance to cast off in the program sponsored by the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, The Foss Waterway Seaport, and Service Education Adventure, a marine education group with a boat.
The students were put to work the minute they boarded the boat. The point is to get them comfortable with working on the water. They also get excited by learning from experts in the fields of navigation, history and science.
During their day long adventure they visited the Foss seaport, the zoo and topped it off with a cruise on the water. They gathered plankton in nets and studied it under microscopes. They held history and writing sessions, nautical training and other classes on the boat.
The students said they are committed to learning about Puget Sound so they can help protect it. The sponsors say this program gives them a chance to build an enthusiastic next generation of marine scientists.
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