Long Island Sound Schools Network

The Long Island Sound Schools Network (lispN) provides Connecticut and New York schools in the Long Island Sound watershed the opportunity to implement community-based projects to increase ocean literacy by engaging students, families, and the public. The project is facilitated by Connecticut Sea Grant and Mercy University of New York. Projects foster the seven ocean literacy principles.

The lispN seeks to support 10 schools annually. The project reaches thousands of students each year through school communities and partners. Participating teachers may have the opportunity to present at conferences such as conferences hosted by the Southeastern New England Marine Educators, New York State Marine Education Association, and the National Marine Educators Association.

All K-12 schools located within the Long Island Sound watershed in New York and Connecticut are eligible, from inland areas with waterways that flow into the estuary to shoreline communities. Program funding provides stipends for lead teachers at each school and up to $5,000 per school to implement projects. Schools also have access to a network of educators, connections with scientists, community organizations and stewardship sites, and possible travel funds for conference presentations.

Examples of projects include:

• Marine science day at the town beach in which high school students manned 16 different stations to teach 370 elementary school children about topics ranging from whale anatomy to knot tying to robotics to marsh exploration.
• A study of oysters that included dissection, learning about research into microplastics and shellfish and setting up a classroom oyster research project.
• Several watershed lessons using paint, spray bottles of water and glitter to enable students to visualize how rainfall carries pollution into the Sound.
• An interdisciplinary project involving high school classes in marine and environmental science, accounting and marketing to incorporate sustainability practices into the public school system.
• Collaboration with the city parks department to establish a series of recycling stations with signage to empower the community to clean up the shared space.
• A community science curriculum for students focused on improving ocean literacy in collaboration with local organizations and a culminating presentation to share project data and research.
• Lessons about the water cycle using hands-on activities and an EnviroScape to model the local watershed environment and the connection between humans and our one global ocean.
• A project in which students created upcycled musical instruments using items found during beach cleanups, become school conservation mentors, and reach the community by inviting people to participate in beach cleanups.
• A multi-language program in which students create informational fliers to inform the community about how their decisions can impact the watershed. For the Spanish- speaking population, students translated the fliers they created so that their project could reach everyone in the community.
• Construction of an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) that will take samples from the bottom of the Long Island Sound to collect data and test water quality, creating a database to share and collaborate with organizations to improve the Sound’s water quality.