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All kinds of immersionMarine Biology is a unique program where immersion in rich biological content and experiences actually coincide with real physical immersion in the ocean. Our specific focus for the course is the delicate and threatened coral reef ecosystem. Density of life on the reef is amazing, and studying it firsthand is an unforgettable experience.

MARINEb i o l o g y

Introduction &

Characterization

A course that literally immerses

you into the content.

Page 1-2

Requirements & Fees

Find out what you need to

participate, as well as all

associated fees.

Page 3-4

Enrollment Dates

Due to the unique nature of the

course, enrollment is also

unique. Record these dates.

Page 5

Schedule & Syllabus

Our program is planned out

well in advance. Check these

dates against your calendar...

Page 6-7

SJSD MARINE BIOLOGY PROGRAM INFORMATION:The Course:

The course is a unique one-semester experience-intensive study of the biology of our oceans. “Honors Marine Biology” is part of our existing biology curriculum, but will take

several important steps further toward being an actual hands-on experience in the field of biological science. The course will provide an introduction to the flora and fauna of tropical ecosystems and the Caribbean, in particular. Major systems of study will include: coral reefs, mangroves, sand flats, and subtropical forests. Experiences in species identification and science

research skills will be part of the focus within these systems. A highlight of the course is a weeklong, in-depth study to the coral reefs of either the Florida Keys or The Bahamas. There, we live on 45 to 50 ft. sailboats for the entire week we are on the island. As a direct result of

our on-site field-study, many valuable cultural experiences will also be gained.

The program is designed to allow students in many different activities to

also participate in Marine Biology. Another way the course will be unique is the meeting schedule. Honors Marine Biology will

meet at night. A specific number of contact hours are required for a semester credit. Half of these hours will be

spent during the intense study week in the subtropics. The other half will be met during night classes from 7:00 to

9:00pm. The schedule will require meeting an average of

two nights per month during the months of August through February. Closer to the week of on-site study,

more preparation will be needed. (continued on page 2)

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A Typical Day On Andros Island

(8:00am-ish) breakfast(9:00-12:00pm) snorkeling trip on Andros barrier reef crest(12:30-1:30pm) lunch in the field at a nearby beach(1:30-3:00pm) recording of data, photo review, journaling and free time to explore(3:00-5:00pm) snorkeling trip at Gibson Cay Blue Hole... an inland blue hole(5:00-6:00pm) more free exploration(6:00-7:00pm) dinner(7:00pm) group discussion “Geology of Bahamian Blue Holes”

MARINE BIOLOGYThe Course: (continued from page 1)

During this time, we meet nearly every

Monday. During the month following the on-site study, three meetings will also be

needed for closure. In this time, all data collected the field study will be analyzed

and conclusions for individual projects

will be made and presented. Culminating

presentations of all types will be incorporated into a website that will be accessible by anyone on the planet with an

Internet connection. The link to the site for our program is: http://stjoeh2o.ning.com.

A Marine Biology program is rare in midwestern colleges and even far less

common in high schools. This course will create educational opportunities that are rarely experienced in public education.

Students will be provided with a firsthand look at many career choices that are not

often studied in our part of

the country. Though the stark reality is: the surface of our planet is seventy-

five percent covered by the

ocean. (continued on page 3)

Students keep a

journal throughout the coral reef field experience to

bring home and publish to the world via our online course network.

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MARINE BIOLOGY

The Course:

(continued from page 2) Of all careers in the natural sciences, a

large number of them are in marine biology. During the study of these subjects and the time on-site during the field study, you will become aware of such possibilities

and the steps you would follow to take to take advantage of them. This will certainly help interested students with

college and technical school program and course selection. You will also have the opportunity to actually interact with

several of our former students who are currently in graduate school and or working in the field of marine biology!

Requirements•You must be an incoming high school

student at the youngest. If you are a Sophomore or older, it would be valuable to be enrolled in Zoology, but this is not

required.•An informational meeting will be

held to characterize the program on May

9th, at 5:30pm at Webster Learning

Center, 18th & Highly, rm #8. This is

an excellent meeting for parents to attend. Here, I will explain the program in depth. Applications will be handed out at this

meeting as well as during the day in the respective schools after this meeting.

•Students must complete an application: (DUE: ON OR BEFORE

THURSDAY, MAY 12th, by 4:00pm in ROOM #8 at WEBSTER LEARNING CENTER).

•Due to the fact that part of the course

takes place in a foreign country, exemplary behavior and social skills are a must for applying students. These issues are

addressed within the “teacher recommendation” section of the application.

•Selected students and at least one parent or guardian must attend an informational meeting to characterize the program. This meeting is held on May

18th at 7:00pm at Webster room #8 on the top floor of the main building.

•Along with you, a parent or guardian

must sign a letter stating intent to complete all parts of the course including all monetary responsibilities. Late withdrawal

from the course will require forfeiture of all or part of the required fees.

•Letters of recommendation from two teachers in your school will also be

required... at least one of which must be a science teacher. This teacher-recommendation form will be included in

the application. Be certain to put your best foot forward on all parts of the application, as course enrollment will be competitive.

•Due to space, enrollment is held to eighteen students total from each of our secondary schools. In the past this has created a very unique and rewarding

citywide exchange.

The values of this program

are numerous. Some of the

value added by this course is that it...

• allows an area of high student

interest and engagement to be included

within the broader curriculum

• fosters development of real science

skills, in a real-world setting

• provides an opportunity for enriched coursework and experiences

• requires the development and practice of application skills such as public speaking,

writing, teaching content to younger students, as well as publishing and interaction

within many forms of online participatory media

• creates a sense of collaborative “unity” that ties enthusiastic students from each of

our three St. Joseph public schools

• presents a realistic in-depth examination of several career

opportunities in the field of marine biology

• allows you, the midwestern student, an opportunity to study in

one of the most ecologically delicate and rare systems of the

world: the coral reef

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MARINE BIOLOGY

Painting thousands of words...

More than 380 images from the Spring 2011 Andros Island field study are online at Flickr. Visit this link for an even more in-depth visual of a typical SJSD Marine Biology experience: http://goo.gl/tnChJ

Program feesThe SJSD Marine Biology program

has been in existence since 2000. Over this time we have built a strong relationship with our non-for-profit field

station in The Bahamas. There is no doubt that this program would be far too costly to feasibly

continue today if it were not for the fact that our expenses are kept low by

cooperating with an educational field station in this way. If this field study were assembled

with corporate elements it would easily be twice as costly for all of us.

Program fees go towards room and board (all meals) for a full

week aboard a 45 to 50 foot sailboat, one night hotel stay in Florida before departing to the island, ground transportation, round trip charter flight from Florida to Andros

Island, and round trip commercial flight from Kansas City to Ft. Lauderdale.

The amounts listed here are approximate, but rarely ever change throughout the course of the program.

$1400 covers field station fees (room &

board, charter flights, hotel, etc.) $250 to $400 in round trip commercial airfare between Kansas City and Ft. Lauderdale.

The results in a total fee for the program of between $1650 and $1800 depending

on the price of the group airfare fees to and from Florida. In the past, most of our

students have been too involved with high school life to participate in fundraisers,

therefore relying on some combination of summer jobs, parental assistance, etc.

However, there have been instances of parents or students organizing fundraising activities throughout the year to help with field station fees. I am more

than open to helping facilitate and support these efforts for creative funding!

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MARINE BIOLOGY

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBERIMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

INFORMATIONAL MEETING in room #8, 5:30pm, WEBSTER LEARNING

CENTER, 18th & Highly - Applications will be distributed at this time.MAY 9th

APPLICATIONS DUE to Mr. Nash at Webster Learning Center, Room #8 by

4:00pm on this date if not earlierMAY 12th

STUDENTS ARE CONTACTED for acceptance into Marine Biology. An email

message will be sent notifying students of acceptance. Your biology teacher will

also have a list the following day.

MAY 16th

MANDATORY MEETING for all students & parents of SJSD MARINE INSTITUTE

2010. Must be accompanied by one parent/guardian. A deposit of $200 is due

at this time. 7:00pm, Webster Learning Center room #8

MAY 18th

SUMMER EXPLORATION BEGINS with students taking home MacBook laptops

for self-paced online study throughout the summerMAY 24th

FIRST MEETING of class, 7:00 to 9:00pm at Webster Learning Center AUGUST 22nd

DEPART FOR FIELD STUDY the week of March 31st - April 7th MARCH 30th

RESUME CLASSES, teach coral reef ecology lesson to an elementary classroom,

conduct culminating projects (websites, print publishing, video production, etc.)April 16th, 2012 to

May 7th, 2012

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MARINE BIOLOGY

Tentative syllabus

August 22ndintroduction of students and staff

reminder and outline of course requirementsintroduction to textbook

introduction to course online network overview of final projectsrole of email & internet in marine biology

August 29thintroduction to the world ocean

video lesson: “Ocean”ocean sedimentation and basic geology

September 12thintroduction & kickoff of major course

project involving social action: “How do Missourians affect our ocean resources?”

September 19th

the chemistry of seawaterocean currents, tides, waves, & storms

***$600 due toward fees: after tonight… $600 left.

September 26th

oceanic zonation and structurethe oceanic trophic pyramid*

October 10th

introduction to the coral reef (our “model” ecosystem)coral reef formation

video lesson: “Cities of Coral”

October 24th

oceanic producersthe “algae”true marine plants

introduction to marine animals

November 7th

Phylum: Cnidaria (corals, anemones, jellyfish, etc…)video excerpts on coral symbiosis &

reproduction

November 21st

coral reef ecologycurrent coral “issues” (habitat dest.,

bleaching mechanisms, etc…)coral identification

December 5th

midterm examvideo: “Coral 2000” – a lesson in coral

ecology from Looe Key

December 19th

marine invertebrates IPhylum: Porifera (the sponges)

marine “worms”Phylum: Platyhelmenthes (flatworms)Phylum: Nematoda (roundworms)Phylum: Annelida (segmented worms)

Phylum: Molluska (clams, mussels, snails, slugs, squid, etc…)

~CHRISTMAS BREAK~

January 9th

marine invertebrates IIPhylum: Arthropoda

Class: Crustacea (lobsters, crabs, shrimp, etc…)Phylum: Echinodermata (sea stars, sea

urchins, sea cucumbers, etc…)Subphylum: Urochordata (tunicates)Subphylum: Cephalochordata

(amphioxus)

Course Schedule...

AUGUST22nd

29th

SEPTEMBER

12th19th

26th

OCTOBER

10th24th

NOVEMBER

7th 21st

DECEMBER

5th19th

JANUARY

9th23rd

FEBRUARY

6th13th27th

MARCH5th

12th

19th26th

FIELD STUDY

March 31st – April 7th(Sailing field study depart on the 30th)

APRIL16th

23rd30th

MAY

7th

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Syllabus: (continued from page 7)

January 23rd

“The Fishes”Class: Agnatha (jawless fishes lamprey & hagfish)

Class: Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fishes sharks, skates & rays)***Final fees due tonight: $600

February 6th Identification of fishes

video study: “Caribbean Reef Fish Identification”

February 13thClass: Osteichthyes

(bony fishes)fishes of the coral reef

February 27th

marine higher vertebratesreef “creature” phyletic ID

behavior of marine animalssymbiosis on the reef

March 5th

coral reef fish ID PRACTICE SESSIONvegetation zones of Andros Island

March 12th

introduction to snorkelingreef conservation policiessnorkeling practice session (location TBA

usu. YMCA)

March 19th

FINAL FISH IDENTIFICATION quiz fish population sampling instruction/practice

March 26th

Overview of The Bahamas and Andros Island

(geological, political, and cultural history)go over field study itinerary review of flight procedures and onsite at

Ft. Lauderdale & Andros Island

*March 30th

depart for Ft. Lauderdale stay short night there before heading out to Andros Island early the next morning

March 31st through April 7thon site field study

(Andros Island, Bahamas)daily trips to snorkel coral

reefs, tidal flats and blue holesdebriefing each evening

journal entries w/ species ID

April 16th

The Andros Experience: (“debriefing” and share session)

share & exchange developed photosoutline procedures for “final assessment” & organization of “teams”

April 23rdjournal due on “SaintJoe H2O” network

begin in-class work on final assessments: Print, video, and web publishing.

April 30thpaper & pencil FINAL EXAM & in-

class work on final projects

May 7th

complete and present final projects, including both individual projects as well as group action projects for our

“protecting ocean resources” initiative

Your instructor• Sean P. Nash• SJSD Academic Technology

Instructional Specialist• Currently- instructor of

Marine Biology• Former instructor of Dual-

Credit Biology, Zoology, Botany, Microbiology, Science Investigations, and

General Biology

MARINE BIOLOGY

*All photos throughout this booklet feature our students/staff and were taken on past field studies to Andros Island.