Hahaione Elementary School Marine Debris Awareness Student Art Project

B.E.A.C.H. volunteers, Suzanne Frazer and Dean Otsuki with Haha`ione students: left side from front to back - Davy, Cameron, Gael. Right side from front to back - David, Thomas, Sewon, JacobThis month Hahaione Elementary School was the latest participant of the Marine Debris Awareness Student Art Project. The second graders had an amazing learning opportunity during a four-day project by the non-profit organization Beach Environmental Awareness Campaign Hawaii (B.E.A.C.H.). This integrated science and art project teaches important lessons about marine debris to Hawaii’s youth.

Co-Founder of B.E.A.C.H., Suzanne Frazer thinks art projects are one of the best ways to teach children life-long lessons. She explained, “When I was about 7 or 8, I did a painting that I can still remember. This project with the children is a learning experience that we hope will stay with them for a lifetime.”

The integrated marine science/art project has four parts: 1) presentations about marine debris through PowerPoint, films, photographs and discussion; 2) a hands-on learning experience with marine debris; 3) children make their own paintings for public display to help educate the community and 4) a final presentation about what kids can do to recycle, reduce and reuse in order to protect our environment.

The program focuses on three main impacts of marine debris on marine life and the environment: ingestion, entanglement and habitat destruction. The children’s art tells a visual story about one of these impacts that they have learned about. Co-founder Dean Otsuki emphasized the learning side of the project. “Most of the kids don’t know about the plastic wave coming into Hawaii everyday. They don’t realize that marine animals and sea birds eat plastic. If we can teach one to two kids to help the environment it’s totally worth it.”

On a recent visit to Hahaione Elementary, a wide variety of marine debris from toothbrushes, combs, eel traps, nets, plastic bottles, caps and other items harmful to marine life surrounded the students. The second graders excitedly presented plastic bottles with labels from as far away as Japan and even South America that had been found washed up on Hawaii’s beaches. Some of the students were drawing their inspirations for their paintings directly from the objects, while others were using photos or other educational materials.

Karisa Figueira, a second grade teacher whose students were participating in the project, explained what she loved about this program: “This is part of the Sharing The Planet unit about what the kids can do to help the environment and protect its future. It’s a great fit working with B.E.A.C.H. Their presentation has been eye opening. The visuals really bring it home. Some of our poor choices are leading to this; it is hard to believe that we did this. They (B.E.A.C.H.) are trying to educate us about what we are doing and reaching out to the schools.” Figueira went on to explain that children have a lot of power to influence their parents.

What were the kids saying about this project? Kaili Dyball was drawing a picture of a monk seal. She said, “This is a monk seal stuck in an eel trap; then it can’t eat.”

Kamila Lamoza explained her drawing, “When they (Albatross) get cut in half you can see what they ate. They think plastic is something else and they eat it and die.”

Davy Wiggins was drawing a sea turtle. He said, “We learned that sea turtles eat plastic bags. I’m going to pick up plastic (at the beach) and instead of getting plastic bags at the store, I am going to use recyclable bags.”

Michele Kunimoto and Lily Buote were sitting at a table strewn with nets and rope. They explained that nets and rope could cut into a dolphin and other marine life and hurt them. It was clear that the project was having a big impact on the students.

Hahaione Elementary School principal Cindy Giorgis shared her impression about the project, “The passion for reducing the problem of marine debris as shared by the B.E.A.C.H. presenters has had a dramatic impact on our grade 2 students as they transpose their learning about the issue to works of art. The problem has been made real for our students as they explore addressing management and mismanagement of our natural resources via their International Baccalaureate concept-based units.”

The Marine Debris Awareness Student Art Project began in 2008, has touched over 1,400 students and has been on display in more than 25 locations. Frazer emphasized the importance of the student’s art projects being accurate in order to properly educate the public: “The purpose is to get these paintings into public spaces to make sure the message is clear to the public about the harmful affects of marine debris.”

A smaller selection of the 80 paintings from the Hahaione Elementary Students grade 2 classes will be on display at the following libraries: Aina Haina (April 6 – 29), Hawaii Kai (April 4-28) and Kaimuki (April 3-28) in celebration of Earth Day.

B.E.A.C.H. has already published two books of the Marine Debris Awareness Student Art Projects and plans on publishing a third in time for the Marine Debris Awareness Student Art Project Display at the Hawaii State Capitol March 18- April 28. For more information visit www.b-e-a-c-h.org.