Offering Our New “Educator Innovation Awards”

May 14, 2019

Our global network of educators are invaluable members of the Bow Seat crew—whether they teach art, English, science, or other subjects, many creatively bring a Bow Seat program into their classrooms, teaching entire groups of students about ocean issues and empowering them to be stewards of our blue planet, while meeting important educational standards.

To recognize these efforts, we are excited to offer our first-ever Educator Innovation Awards! Tell us how you integrated a Bow Seat program into your curriculum, and you could receive a $750 prize. Nominate yourself or a fellow teacher by July 1, 2019.

“The Contest engaged my students in learning, adding a real-world element to last year’s 6th-grade Climate Change-Human Impact science unit. All students were excited by the creative connection to the science curriculum allowing them to display their learning in unique ways. I was thrilled to witness how the students dove into their research eager to learn more about the problems and possible solutions, especially solutions that they feel they have some control over. The passion for change my students exhibited as they learned about the pollution in our oceans will drive the change that needs to be made.”
– Kimberly Renick, Science Teacher, Timberlane Middle School (Pennington, NJ)

Need more reasons to sponsor students in a Bow Seat program? Here are several:

1. You’ll make a difference for our oceans and watersheds. Now more than ever, our oceans need a voice to ensure their healthy future. By educating students about the challenges facing our oceans and inspiring them to take action, you are helping to create the next generation of ocean caretakers—starting in your own classroom.
2. You’ll make learning relevant… and fun! Bow Seat’s programs are based on the growing understanding that combining skills from the creative arts with experiential, or project-based, learning is an extremely effective way to spark passion and action. When students do, they are more engaged and invested in their work, and learning becomes more permanent.
3. You’ll empower your students with critical 21st Century skills. Participating in programming that fuses science and the arts helps students build communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills, as well as increases their confidence in their creative abilities.
4. You’ll help them take the first step into the world of advocacy. The artistic process is a means for students to investigate knowledge and feelings around issues, as well as a way to find and share their voice. It shapes their attitudes about their own power to make a difference and gives them the courage to speak up about the changes they want to see for their community and for their future.

Whether you use the Ocean Awareness Contest as a final project activity or simply share our website with a creative student you know, we appreciate your support of young people who are interested in speaking up and taking action on the climate crisis! The deadline to participate in 2019 programs is June 17th!

“I feel it’s important to provide opportunities for our students to find creative solutions for the issues we face in our world today. Art is powerful visual activism. The artist’s individual voice together with visual imagery combine to form compelling commentary. I am excited that our students’ artworks are not only appreciated by our local community but also acknowledged at an international level as an important and effectively communicated message.”
– Marisa Maré, Visual Art Department Head, Redhill School (South Africa)