Every year, the College of Marine Studies' Coast Day celebration attracts thousands of adults and children interested in learning more about the seas and shores, and this year's 25th annual festival was no exception.
More than 10,000 visitors came to the Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes on Oct. 7 to watch research demonstrations, tour ships, explore marine life in special "touch tanks," take part in a treasure hunt and other children's activities, sample seafood, purchase nautical crafts and get involved in numerous other events whose aim is to educate and entertain.
Coast Day, which has won state and national awards, will be held again in 2002, so mark your calendar for Sunday, Oct. 6.
A popular event at the festival each year is the announcement of the winners of the fifth-grade essay contest, which is designed to spark youngsters' interest in the ocean. This year, the students were asked to write about the following theme: "When Henry Hudson sailed up the Delaware Bay in 1609, he was amazed at the beauty of the pristine marshes and forests. What do we need to do to ensure the future health of our bay?"
Six winners were selected, based on the accuracy and originality of their essays, and were presented awards at Coast Day. The teachers of the winning students also were recognized and received books related to marine science for use in their classroom.
Brittany Ash, of Frankford Elementary School in Frankford, Del., earned the top prize of a $100 savings bond and a copy of Delaware Sea Grant's award-winning book The Delaware Estuary: Rediscovering a Forgotten Resource. Her essay talked about how she has enjoyed walking on the beaches since she was a toddler.
"I was excited and surprised about winning first place--it was the first time I had ever won a contest," Brittany says.
Her teacher, Jennifer Athey, has had her class participate in the essay contest for the past several years. "My students all live right here near the beach, and it is important for them to learn about the ocean at an early age," Athey says. "The essay contest gives me a way to introduce the topic in a fun and exciting way."
O'Brian Handy, also a student in Athey's class, won the second-place award of a $75 savings bond and a copy of The Delaware Estuary. Noting that people must first be aware that their waterways are being contaminated before they can take action to protect them, O'Brian recommends that people dispose of their trash appropriately and that industries implement plans to dispose of their waste. His essay also mentions the importance of the ecosystem and concludes by saying that "we should try to protect it the best way we can."
Winner of the third prize--a $50 savings bond and a copy of The Delaware Estuary--was Kate Pierce, a student in Maryanne Lessard's class at William Henry Middle School in Dover, Del. In her essay, Kate suggests picking up plastic and cigarette butts because they decompose very slowly. She also encourages "all Delawareans to put their effort into saving this area before it is too late."
Three other Delaware students earned honorable mentions and received a copy of The Delaware Estuary. Carly Marconi, in Joan Balback's class at East Millsboro Elementary School in Millsboro, urges everybody to pitch in and help clean the bay, and "we will be very happy with the results." In her imaginative essay, Erika Cook, also a student in Athey's class in Frankford, writes that Henry Hudson would be shocked if he were to see the bay today--filled with oil, trash and debris--and describes how Hudson would form a group to clean up the bay. Yumna Allie, a student in Gil Green's class at Anna P. Mote School near Wilmington, discusses how the Delaware Bay region could once again be a land of beautiful forests, marshes and freshwater swamps if all the companies and residents of Delaware help control pollution.
The essay contest is sponsored each year by UD's Sea Grant College Program.