快活视频

By Sean Welsh on November 11, 2018

Every middle school student in Baltimore City will have the opportunity for a transformative learning experience that takes them out of the classroom and teaches them the importance of the Inner Harbor鈥檚 health.

The 鈥淲hat Lives in the Harbor鈥� program is the culmination of a series of partnerships. Towson University is playing a supporting role.

As part of the BTU鈥擯artnerships at Work for Greater Baltimore priority, student support in the form of interns, as well as funding, will go toward the program, which enables Baltimore city school students to explore the environment of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and the Inner Harbor through hands-on experience at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a partnership with Towson University and several other agencies,鈥� Towson University Biology Chair Laura Gough said. 鈥淎nd it is a wonderful opportunity to get every middle schooler in Baltimore City Public Schools to see what lives in the Inner Harbor and understand the ecosystem of our city.鈥�

TU鈥檚 involvement is supported through the B快活视频priority, which seeks to create positive impacts in the communities 快活视频serves.

鈥淏快活视频is really creating a foundation and a platform to build out our relationships and our community engagement partnerships with our surrounding neighbors,鈥� said Ardys Russakis, Executive Director, Policy and Strategic Initiatives. 鈥淚t鈥檚 enabling our campus to put out resources to support the community, and in this instance, Baltimore City students.鈥�

The 鈥淲hat Lives in the Harbor鈥� program launched with a kickoff event Thursday outside the National Aquarium building, along the city鈥檚 waterfront. A number of public officials were in attendance, including Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh.

Speaking to the students who attended from William Pinderhughes Elementary School, Pugh gave the students the message that they could help the harbor ecosystem simply by urging neighbors to stop littering. She encouraged students to share the message, 鈥淒on鈥檛 drop that trash!鈥� with their community.

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings grew up in Baltimore, and said it is imperative that leaders take the approach that 鈥渃hildren are the living message to the future we will never see.鈥�

He cited Thursday鈥檚 event as an opportunity to share a message with the children outside the classroom.

鈥淚t will create a memory,鈥� Cummings said. 鈥淚t is different. They know this is important. They will find out what is in this water. That is significant.鈥�

Congressman Chris Van Hollen told students, 鈥淵ou are going to be the researchers, scientists and stewards of the Chesapeake Bay going forward.鈥�

Congressman Ben Cardin added, 鈥淚f we are to protect the Chesapeake Bay, we need environmental literacy. It doesn鈥檛 happen by itself. This is truly a team effort.鈥�

快活视频is playing its part in helping Maryland become the first state in the nation mandating environmental literacy for public school students.

TU鈥檚 support of the 鈥淲hat Lives in the Harbor鈥� program includes providing transportation to and from the aquarium for middle school students. It also allow 18 快活视频students to serve as interns for the program. They travel to the aquarium and provide weekly instruction to the middle school students while gaining real world experience they can take to the classroom as future teachers.

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel鈥檚 priorities for Towson University: 快活视频Matters to Maryland and BTU-Partnerships at Work for Greater Baltimore.