Pine Manor kids spend day with Sanibel Sea School
Six teenagers were treated to a day at the beach with Sanibel Sea School educators, providing them with an opportunity to become intimate with the ocean while learning about the many creatures that call it home.
“It means a lot to experience new things and learn new things,” Alex Villarreal, 14, said.
He has been apart of the program on and off for the past three years affording him the opportunity to visit the island and learn about the ocean. He said the experiences have taught him that humans and species can get along in the same environment.
“When we started I learned how animals can be so different, but so alike as humans,” Villarreal said.
Although he said he visits the beach often, his experience with the ocean is different when he’s with the Sanibel Sea School.
“The only difference here is I’m learning more than when I’m by myself,” Villarreal said.
His hope for Saturday’s outing was to learn more about shells.
Pine Manor Improvement Association Resident Coordinator Shari Clark said the partnership with the Sanibel Sea School began about six years ago.
“It’s an awesome partnership,” she said. “The Sea School is very accommodating for my kids.”
Clark said the great thing about the partnership is many of the kids had never been to the beach before. Fortunately because of the experience they now go to the beach often.
She recalled one of the trips with the Sanibel Sea School having a tremendous impact on her kids, as they showed her firsthand how much they retained. The kids who were not able to make the trip to Sanibel were learning about the animals from those who did attend while walking Fort Myers Beach, she said.
“They learned something new,” she said.
The day began about 9:30 a.m. when the Sanibel Sea School picked up Clark and six of her kids from the Pine Manor community in Fort Myers Saturday, March 18. They arrived at the flagship campus around 10 a.m. and shortly thereafter began the trek to Colony Beach to do a bit of exploring with Sanibel Sea School Lead Marine Science Educator Johnny Rader and Sanibel Sea School Marine Science Educator Carley Todd.
“We try to do it once a month,” Rader said of bringing the kids to the ocean.
Clark said the kids who are apart of the program range in age from 11 to 18 years old. Saturday’s outing included youths from 12 to 15 years old.
“It’s a relaxing day at the beach. It gives them a break from being in the neighborhood and they have a lot of fun,” she said.
The outreach program takes the youngsters to either Bunche Beach, the Causeway Islands, or one of the island beaches.
Rader explained Saturday’s outing as very causal – walking the beach and making their way through the water during low tide. The two educators helped the teens find ocean creatures, which was often accompanied by many questions.
With some of the youngsters not having the means of visiting Sanibel, Rader said the day was about getting “them out on a Saturday and experience something memorable.”
He said he really wanted the kids to embrace the time they had on Sanibel, while also having a learning experience with the Sanibel Sea School staff.
“I really enjoy teaching and passing along anything I can,” Rader said, adding that he also enjoys talking about conservation of the environment and preserving it for future generations.
The day also included Fort Myers High School Senior Fiona Sweeney, who volunteered with the Sanibel Sea School for the first time Saturday. She said she found out about the school through a flyer at her work, Estero River Outfitters.
“I’m really glad I did it. It was a lot of fun,” Sweeney said. “I’m hoping to volunteer more here. Experiences like this are good to broaden my knowledge.”
The soon to be high school graduate will be attending Florida Gulf Coast University in the fall to pursue her interest in marine science.
When asked what she took away from her experience she smiled while offering many highlights. Those included learning about crabs and the different types of sponges and holding a shark’s eye snail. Those experiences were memorable because it was great to see what she was learning about in the classroom was located on the beaches, basically in her backyard.
“I never knew it was right there on the beach,” Sweeney said with excitement.
The outing concluded with a hamburger cookout at the flagship campus, as well as a game of Uno.
The Pine Manor community is comprised of 3,000 residences and 2,800 residents. “The majority of them are under the poverty level,” she said.
The Pine Manor Community Center is also a United Way House. Clark said they offer a culinary school for adults and teenagers, as well as have a community garden to teach the residents the farm to table concept.
The Pine Manor Improvement Association has been successful for the teenagers, resulting in four just recently graduating from high school and another student going to college.
“It’s a successful program and keeps them off the streets and a place to hang out,” Clark said.