Marine biology students get their feet wet – News-Press Now

Missouri may not seem like a hotbed for marine biology, but that hasnt stopped local students from getting their feet wet.

The St. Joseph School District has offered a half-credit elective in marine biology for more than 15 years.

Students from across the community meet on Monday nights at Benton High School to learn about topics like oceanography, reef ecology, and how the things people do in Missouri impact oceans thousands of miles away. The course culminates each year in a weeklong sailing trip in the Exumas an island chain in the Bahamas.

On Monday, the class tried out its snorkeling equipment for the first time as a group at the Downtown Family YMCA.

Betsy Bing, a science instructor at Benton, explained the importance of preparing before the trip.

The students all buy their own snorkel equipment to take, so this is a no pun intended get your feet wet kind of thing to allow them to test the equipment so they know if theres an issue, Bing said. If something breaks, they have time to get it fixed. They also know what to expect before we take them to the reefs, because well see reefs that very few people get to see.

Even though Missouri sits far from any ocean, Bing said several students who have taken the course have gone on to study marine biology in college. The course does not factor into a students grade point average, but it does appear on their transcript.

This years group includes a total of 17 students from all three local public high schools, plus Bishop LeBlond. Students apply for the course the summer before school starts so they have time to raise the funds needed to participate.

The district tries to schedule the annual sailing trip over spring break to keep students from missing their regular coursework. This years trip will occur from March 18 to 25.

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Marine biology students get their feet wet - News-Press Now