Mercy University and Connecticut Sea Grant Launch Program for Local Schools to Protect and Preserve Long Island Sound

Elementary, middle and high school students, teachers and the communities of 10 public schools in New York and Connecticut will comprise the new Long Island Sound Schools network, a program committed to the protection of local watersheds, the Sound and our one global ocean. The program is modeled on the National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Administration’s (NOAA) Ocean Guardian Schools and the international Blue Schools network.

Facilitated by Mercy University and the Connecticut Sea Grant with $200,000 in funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Long Island Sound Study, the program supports schools that implement a school or community-based project and create a plan to increase ocean literacy by engaging students, families and the public.

“This project is a wonderful opportunity for school communities to strengthen their connection to Long Island Sound and our global ocean, inspiring the next generation of ocean stewards,” said Meghan Marrero, Ed.D., professor of secondary science education and co-director of the Mercy University Center for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education, who is co-leading the project.

“We have all been inspired by a teacher who has opened our minds to new possibilities and ambitions,” said Mark A. Tedesco, director of the EPA’s Long Island Sound Office. “The new Long Island Sound Schools network will support schools, teachers, and students in learning about Long Island Sound and actively engaging in its protection and conservation.”

Program funding will provide stipends for lead teachers at each school and up to $5,000 per school to implement projects. The schools will also have access to a network of educators, connections with scientists, community organizations and stewardship sites, and possible travel funds for conference presentations.

“The Long Island Sound Schools network builds on more than 20 years of success with the Long Island Sound Mentor Teacher program,” said Diana Payne, CT Sea Grant education coordinator and co-leader of the project. “It's the next logical step—from fostering educators to incorporate Long Island Sound into their curriculum at the classroom level and expanding it to the school and community level.”

All the schools are located within the Long Island Sound watershed, from inland areas with waterways that flow into the estuary to shoreline communities. The network schools in New York are Jefferson Elementary, New Rochelle; PS175X, Bronx; Smithtown High School West; and Trinity Elementary, New Rochelle. The network schools in Connecticut are Flanders Elementary, East Lyme; Mystic River Magnet; Torrington High; Trumbull High; Walter Fitzgerald Campus, Southport; and Waterford High.

The project kicked off on January 15 and concludes on August 15, 2024.