CHAMPIONS FOR LEARNING

At The Florida Aquarium, we are committed to providing learning experiences that foster understanding, appreciation and empathy for aquatic life in the Florida region and beyond. Throughout 2022, we continued to provide educational programs that help people of all ages to discover their connection to the natural environment and to become passionate guardians of our blue planet. As Champions for Marine Life, we tirelessly work to educate, entertain and inspire a new generation of environmental stewards.

Camps

The Aquarium’s popular camp programs were highly sought after during the 2022 season. Our School Year Camps took place throughout the year on days Hillsborough County Public Schools were out of session and served 186 campers while Summer Camp served 1,147 campers with an additional 722 on the waitlist. After a two-year hiatus, Travel Camps for grades four through eight made a comeback, while grant-funded camps for underserved and underrepresented youth provided an additional 43 campers with a fun and educational experience, at no cost to participants.

Teacher Workshops

Teacher Workshops continued their popularity throughout the year. Educators came together to experience in-person learning opportunities before returning to their own classrooms to share newfound knowledge and their enthusiasm with students. Notable programs included:

• A research vessel expedition into the Gulf of Mexico aboard the R/V Weatherbird II

• High school marine science teacher workshop in partnership with Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Hillsborough County Schools

• Tackling Threats to Tampa Bay, made possible by a Bay Mini-Grant from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program

• From Drops to Drink: Protecting Tampa Bay’s Drinking Water workshops with funding from Tampa Bay Water

Spy Tampa Bay Partnership Program

The new iSpy pilot program for pre-Kindergarten students launched in January. Working with the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County, ZooTampa and Glazer Children’s Museum, iSpy provides low-income families with free access and educational opportunities at the Aquarium, Zoo and Museum. The goal is to prepare young children for kindergarten in the short-term and a lifetime of learning to follow. This year, 219 families visited the Aquarium, totaling 1,310 in attendance.

Family Stem Night

In collaboration with partners for Navy Week, Dowdell Middle Magnet School participated in a Family STEM Night at the Aquarium on March 28. As part of our commitment to reach diverse audiences, the event was offered for the Title I school at no cost to participants with funding support from the Tampa Bay STEM Network.

MISSION: TAMPA BAY

In partnership with Tampa Bay STEM Network, the STEMCamp returned with a five-day program in June aimed at empowering middle school girls to envision themselves as budding STEM leaders. Through activities held at the Aquarium and the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), Hillsborough County students enjoyed their roles as junior engineers – planning investigations and expeditions and piloting underwater ROVs.

Evening Tide Talks Return

The Evening Tide Talks lecture series presented by Wells Fargo relaunched February 16, after a two-year hiatus. These free-to-the-public talks were held once a month between February and June and were well received and well attended. Featured speakers included notable authors, community leaders and members of The Florida Aquarium conservation team. The programs were recorded by Tampa Bay Arts and Education Network for online viewing to expand the program’s reach.

GULF OF MEXICO ALLIANCE PARTNERSHIP (GOMA)

The Aquarium entered into a $100,000 four-year partnership with the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) partnership to support the Governor’s Action Plan for Healthy & Resilient Coasts. With classroom and hands-on training for students from elementary through high school grades, the program supports the goals of our Marine Debris focus area and empowers future generations of Floridians to become active environmental stewards of their local watershed.