Later this year, 62 middle-schoolers from Washington STEAM Magnet Academy will board a research vessel and make their way across the 26 miles to Catalina Island for a marine science learning weekend at the Mountain and Sea Adventure Camp on Catalina Island. The students were the recipients of a $15,000 scholarship donated by the Women’s Sailing Association – Orange County (WSA-OC) with funds raised at their inaugural Ocean Awareness Challenge (OAC) event in September, 2016.
Later this year, 62 middle-schoolers from Washington STEAM Magnet Academy will board a research vessel and make their way across the 26 miles to Catalina Island for a marine science learning weekend at the Mountain and Sea Adventure Camp on Catalina Island. The students were the recipients of a $15,000 scholarship donated by the Women’s Sailing Association – Orange County (WSA-OC) with funds raised at their inaugural Ocean Awareness Challenge (OAC) event in September, 2016.
The OAC weekend was created by WSA-OC to raise awareness about the challenges faced by our oceans and to raise funds to help educate children about these issues and teach them how they can make a difference in their own communities.
The curriculum at Washington STEAM Magnet Academy focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics and is a Title 1 school with a goal of serving children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.
Captain Susie Campbell, an avid sailor and founder of the OAC said, “We are so proud to know that our efforts are sending these deserving, smart children to a marine science camp so they too can learn how to protect and heal our ocean and find the same peace and tranquility we do when out on our beloved sea.”
While at camp, students will have an opportunity to snorkel in a marine protected area and learn via hands-on educational experiences as they explore the camp’s marine science center which features a plankton lab, fish aquariums, shark touch tanks, and invertebrate touch tanks.
WSA-OC is a co-ed group dedicated to supporting women sailors throughout the Orange County area through land-based educational programs and on-the-water activities.
The group’s mission includes a focus on serving the community through sailing-related activities. For more information on WSA-OC, visit www.wsaoc.org, www.facebook.com/wsaoc or email info@wsaoc.org.
Mission Statement: Women’s Sailing Association – Orange County (WSA-OC) is dedicated to enriching the lives of women through expanded access to sailing related activities and educational opportunities. WSA-OC is committed to preserving and protecting our oceans and contributing to our local community through on-the-water philanthropic activities.
