Marine science students participate in NOAA “Fishermen of the Greater Tampa Bay” History series; boarders enjoy day at the waterfront

The Upper School marine science classes participated in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Federal “Fishermen of the Greater Tampa Bay” Oral History Grant for the third consecutive year. On Saturday, September 24 at Farragut’s waterfront, 10 marine science students conducted interviews with four area fishermen and gathered information for the benefit of the Voices from the Fisheries Database, which attempts to document the human experience with the marine, coastal, and Great Lakes environments and living marine resources.

“It’s a great opportunity to connect students with people that are directly involved in the marine environment,” said Christina Package-Ward, an anthropologist with NOAA. “We appreciate the benefit of being able to provide this education and outreach to the students in the Tampa Bay area.”

For Upper School marine science instructor Sari Deitche, it was another opportunity for her to give the students a chance to learn outside the classroom.

“It gives students a chance to interact with people who live the life they are studying,” said Mrs. Deitche, who recently had her Advanced Placement biology students oversee the salt marsh planting on campus in which the entire student body participated. “In addition, it allows them the platform to use their people skills in different ways by asking open-ended questions during the interviews which are filmed.”

Britni Doran ‘18, who is in her third year at Farragut, said the experience gave her a chance to understand the area and the people who work on the waters in a new way.

“We learned that every fisherman is unique in his way of fishing,” said Britni Doran ‘18, who is a day student and lives in nearby Seminole. “Being able to hear how they got into fishing and how important it is to their lives was interesting. It was intriguing to hear their insight about certain fishing regulations in the Tampa Bay region.”

 

The video recordings and interview transcripts will be publicly available on the NOAA Voices from the Fisheries Oral History Database http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/voicesfromthefisheries/.

After the students completed their interviews, the boarding students, along with any Farragut families that wanted to join, were invited to the waterfront for a cookout and to play sand volleyball, go kayaking, fishing, sailing, and boating.

Farragut’s security team of Officer Mike, Officer Matt, and Officer Shawn also brought the Critical Intervention Services (CIS) Mobile Command Center truck to the event and gave tours.

“It was very enjoyable day,” Mrs. Deitche said. “The parents that came to help commented that it was a very easy event to help with. Students had fun at all the stations, whether they were visiting the Mobile Command Center, interviewing fishermen, eating, or kayaking.”

It was also a good chance for Officer Mike to showcase the CIS Mobile Command Center that the company uses off campus in special deployments that focus on anti-terrorism, high crime areas and riot situations.

“It was enjoyable to interact with the kids and the parents in an informal setting and to have them see what we do outside of the school setting,” said Officer Mike, who also brought his K9 dog named Mike, to the event.