O'Neill Sea Odyssey

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O'Neill Sea Odyssey is a non-profit organization located in Santa Cruz, California (California Non-Profit Corporation ID#77-0464784). It was founded in 1996 by wet suit innovator Jack_O'Neill and provides students with hands-on lessons on marine habitat and the relationship between the oceans and the environment.[1]

The program provides a free education course to fourth to sixth-grades students, who typically come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.[2] The program's Executive Director Dan Haifley has argued O'Neill Sea Odyssey's position that ocean concepts should be adopted in formal education standards and made more widely available to youth from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. [3]

The course takes place over a three hour period on board a 65-foot catamaran owned by Team O'Neill, and covers three areas; marine biology, ecology and navigation.[4] Three quarters of teachers who enroll their classes in the program utilize the program's web-based classroom curriculum and educational materials both before and after the course. [5] As of December, 2004, over 25,000 students had passed through the program.[2]

In December, 2004, the program received the California Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in Children’s Environmental Education[6] and in May, 2005, US Senator Barbara Boxer presented the organization with her statewide Environmental Champion award.[7]

[edit] References

  1. ^ About The Program. O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Archived from the original on 2007-02-13. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
  2. ^ a b Seals, Brian (2004-12-6). Sea Odyssey Fund-raising Hits Home Stretch. Santa Cruz Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2007-02-13. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
  3. ^ (2006-09-17) "Book of Abstracts" (PDF). California and the World Ocean 2006: 67. Retrieved on 2007-02-14. 
  4. ^ Learning Center. O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Archived from the original on 2007-02-13. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
  5. ^ ASR Report, Page 10. O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Archived from the original on 2007-02-13. Retrieved on 2007-02-15.
  6. ^ California Environmental Protection Agency. "Governor Schwarzenegger Announces Environmental and Economic Honors". Press release.
  7. ^ U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. "Senator Boxer Gives "Conservation Champion" Award to O'Neill Sea Odyssey". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.

[edit] External links