♪♪♪

TYLER: PERCHED ALONGSIDE THE
RESTLESS PACIFIC OCEAN IS THE

MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM...

♪♪♪

BESIDES A MAJOR TOURIST
ATTRACTION,

IT'’S ALSO REGARDED AS A GLOBAL
LEADER IN OCEAN RESEARCH

AND CONSERVATION.

Child: Oh my gosh!

Katy: The Monterey Bay Aquarium
from its founding has really

valued education.

And so we have a really large
education division.

Teacher: Yeah, we eat different
foods alright.

TYLER: SINCE 1984, THE AQUARIUM
HAS BEEN OFFERING EDUCATIONAL

PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS IN
PRESCHOOL THROUGH 12TH GRADE...

PROVIDING EVERYTHING
FROM AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS

TO GUIDED FIELD TRIPS

Katy: They would get a
facilitated experience

that was about an hour long,
where they

get to interact with animals, do
some really cool science, and

then they'’d be able to explore
the aquarium on their own.

[Girl laughs]

Katy: All of our
education programs are free

because we don'’t want that to be
a barrier for students accessing

the aquarium.

TYLER: BUT ALL OF THAT CHANGED
IN MARCH 2020

KION News Segment: We'’re back
with a special news report.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one
the most recognized tourist

attractions in the country but
even they are not immune to the

pandemic and now hoping for a
better tomorrow.

TYLER: THE AQUARIUM WAS FORCED
TO CLOSE ITS DOORS TO VISITORS.

BUT THE STAFF CONTINUES TO CARRY
ON THE INSTITUTE'’S MISSION

Katy: What we knew was that we
wanted to continue connecting

with students and we wanted to
continue engaging with students

TYLER: KATY SCOTT HAS BEEN THE
FORCE BEHIND BUILDING THE

AQUARIUM'’S ROBUST ONLINE
CURRICULUM - AND HAS MADE IT

POSSIBLE FOR STUDENTS TO
EXPERIENCE THE AQUARIUM FROM

THEIR HOMES, BY PROVIDING ONLINE
COURSES AND VIRTUAL TOURS

Katy: Teachers can sign up for a
field trip, via our website

and their students and get a
45 minute zoom session live

with an educator.

So my name is Katy and
I'’m a teacher at Monterey Bay

aquarium and I'’m so excited to
have you here today.

TYLER: ON THIS DAY, FOURTH
GRADERS FROM ROCKLIN UNIFIED

SCHOOL DISTRICT ARE
PARTICIPATING IN A VIRTUAL FIELD

TRIP LED BY KATY, AND HER
COLLEAGUE, CORINA...

Corina: Zach would
you like to share?

Zach: The hermit crab has a
shell protecting it.

Zack: I liked all of it.

It was super cool and learning
these new creatures that I had

no idea that you could
even find in tide pools.

Katy: If you touch a sea
cucumber,

it feels like playdough.

Those spikes are not hard at
all. They'’re squishy.

Student: That is going to gross
my mom out.

Katy: (laughs) I bet, yes.

Katy: We'’ve also started to
offer online courses for

students from preschool to 12th
grade.

Katy: They're also designed to
get kids thinking about the

outdoors and if possible going
into the outdoors.

Instructor: Now that you'’ve
practiced your sea otter

observing skills, it'’s time to
use them.

Have fun observing otter
spotters.

Student: I see a dove!

Katy: Maybe they'’re going into
their backyard or if they don't

have a backyard, maybe they're
taking a walk around our

neighborhood and they're looking
for animals in that space,

whether they be birds or ants or
anything.

And they're taking data on those
animals that they find.

We'’re asking students to think
like scientists and do the same

types of things scientists do.

Katy: Can you hold
up your illustrations

so I can see what
you drew there?

Oh! Naomi'’s got two views.
Whoo!

Y'’all are some good scientific
illustrators.

Rebecca: They really bring it
down to a very cohesive

level for the students to maybe
be able to understand some

pretty complex concepts about
science and conservation.

Katy: Climate change is
definitely a challenge.

That'’s a challenge for animals
wherever they live, right?

Rebecca: Conservation is
extremely important for I

believe my students to learn
because they'’re really

our legacy.

TYLER: AND THAT MESSAGE IS
GETTING ACROSS TO STUDENTS

Zack: If you just like sit
around and watching

the ecosystem getting destroyed

it just basically
destroys earth.

Naomi: We were going to go on a
field trip to the Monterey Bay

aquarium and like stay overnight
but since coronavirus came, we

couldn'’t. So I liked that I get
to know how it is now.

Katy: Does anybody know the
science name when we'’re talking

about body parts and behaviors
that help someone survive

in the wild?

Student: Adaptations.

Katy: Adaptations!
Brilliant. Yes.

Rebecca: I think the silver
lining in all of this is that

it is empowering for students to
know that we can adapt and to be

resilient, to be flexible.

You know children will learn
that there'’s where there'’s a

will, there'’s a way.

And don'’t we want our students
to all have that idea that we

don'’t give up?

And that'’s really what science
is also also about.

That we never give up.

Katy: We're all going through a
shared trauma right now.

This is really difficult times
and what we know is connecting

with animals and connecting with
nature makes us feel better.

And so, especially at this time,
if we can offer content that

makes those students feel a
little bit better, that

this is going to be okay.

I think that'’s really important
right now.

Katy: Well it was great meeting
you all today.

I hope you had a fun time.

Hopefully we will be open again
and soon and you will be able to

come back and visit us.
Thank you so much.

Student: Bye!

Katy: Bye!

Zach: Bye.

Christina: The Monterey Bay
Aquarium now offers 13 online

courses to schools and students
all over the world.

More than 40,000 people have
enrolled in the courses from

93 different countries.