Community Involvement

Ocean Academy was founded as a non-profit community high school, and thus community involvement and service are core values for students and staff.  All Ocean Academy students complete a minimum of 45 community service hours as part of their graduation requirements.

July 2010

 

 

Interact Club of Ocean Academy Helps Sue's Preschool: One of the first activities of the new volunteer club was to help decorate the community centre for the Sue's Preschool graduation ceremony.  Interacters came out on their first week of summer holidays to help create a  special day for the preschoolers and their families.

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 2010

 

Interact Club of Ocean Academy Charter Ceremony: Representatives from our sponsor club, Belize City Rotary, travelled to the island to officiate the ceremony.  Interact (International+Action) is the youth branch of the Rotary Club association.  9 founding Interacters from Ocean Academy pledged to abide by the Rotary motto of "service above self" and accepted Interact pins, charter documents, banner, and bell.  The youthful club members have many plans for community service, such as visiting the elderly, tutoring primary-school kids and reading to preschoolers, assisting the Humane Society care for stray dogs and cats, and continuing beach cleanups and mangrove restoration projects.  For more photos and information click here.

April 2010

 

 

 

Shop Green:  Co-Founder Joni Miller has been working with students at Belize's Galen University the past 4 months through a course she co-taught: "Applications of Sustainable Development".  One of the projects is called Shop Green, and involves marketing reusable shopping bags.  The Galen student group created a market survey, educational display and located a local bag producer.  A local couple in San Ignacio makes the bags.

 

Profits from bag sales go towards environmental activities of the Interact clubs of Ocean Academy (Caye Caulker) and Sacred Heart (San Ignacio).  The Interact Club students of both clubs will continue to sell the bags, educate their communities about the benefits of plastic bag reduction, and keep the project going. Joni has entered the Shop Green Project in a competition - Leveraging Business for Social Change - and you can read more project details on their site.  Coming soon.... a link on this website to purchase the bags using PayPal and have them delivered to your home.

 

Earth Day April 22: The entire student body, staff and volunteers joined marine biologists and volunteered with the FAMRACC Mangrove Restoration Project on the north island (Forest and Marine Reserves Association of Caye Caulker).  Despite the hot sun, all worked hard to collect beach trash, clear interpretative trails, and water mangrove seedlings.

 

Caye Caulker Village Council Elections: We are proud to congratulate our Lifeskills and Sprituality teacher-aide, Ms. Marilyn Alarcon, on her election win of a councillor's seat with the Village Council.  Mr. Alberto Villanueva Jr., former chair of Ocean Academy's Board of Governors, won the Chairman seat. 

  

 

March 2010 

Artists and Students Beautify Campus (February 2010): Ocean Academy's computer lab wall has a great new look: Mayan glyphs that have student names hidden within the symbols.  Visiting artists from Washington D.C. -  Matthew Gifford and Sonia Keiner - invited students to design and paint their own mural glyphs.  In the centre, based on a famous quote by Gandhi, it reads "Be The Change You Wish To See". The result is an outdoor art gallery right on campus.  Click here for photos of all the individual glyphs.

October 2009

 

Students Attend Interact Leadership Training in Belize City:  Interact is the highschool level of community service clubs in the Rotary Club family.  October 24th, Stephanie and Danny and teacher Joni represented Ocean Academy's interest in forming a Caye Caulker Interact  Club.  We joined students from San Ignacio and Belize City to learn about leadership, ethics, conflict resolution, volunteering, and how to create a successful Interact club.




  • Caye Caulker Residents Unite to Protest Crime: Students and staff joined community members in a public demonstration march to show our strength as a community that is united against violent crime.  The march was organized by the Neighbourhood Watch Committee, and Ocean Academy students carried the lead banner.






  • Ocean Academy wins prize for Best Float: Students and staff dedicated tons of volunteer hours to plan, build and deocrate a float for this year's Indpendence Day parade.  This year's theme was "Diverse Origins, Common Aspirations, Together We Celebrate as Belizeans".  Ocean Academy decided to build a replica of a Mayan temple in the jungle, and have students dressed to represent the diverse cultural groups of Belize.  At the top of the float was a student in full uniform, wearing a graduation cap, to represent the shared aspiration of educational success.   (The Belize Independence Day parade was postponed from September 21st to October 11th this year, due to swine flu concerns).  A big thank you to Herbal Tribe Restaurant for their generous donation of a pizza lunch for student participants.

 

 

 

September 2009

 

 

  • Teacher Joni Miller guest tabulator for the “Miss Caye Caulker Pagaent”:  Lovely contestants from Standard VI at the primary school displayed their talents and public speaking skills.


  • Teacher Higinio Tzul guest judge for the "Caye Caulker Big and Beautiful Pagaent": Mr. Tzul is Ocean Academy's new teacher of Accounting, Business, and Spanish.  He was honored to judge the pagaent (Sept.5) and congratulates the contestants.  Decorations were provided by Ocean Academy students.  Teacher aide Marilyn Alarcon was a co-organizer, and the proceeds will go to support Carnival Parade.


  • Park Clean-Up for the Children:  Saturday morning (Sept.5)  Felix, Cornelio, Jorge, Monica and Mr. Tzul exchanged their books for gardening tools and trash bags, in order to clean up the childrens' park and playground.

 

July 2009

 

  • Fun in the Sun Day Camp: July 20-24 Ocean Academy and the Caye Caulker Roman Catholic School hosted a summer day-camp for community children to share arts and crafts, sports, reading and math activities.  The camp was organized by eager volunteers from Holland: Agnes Moes, Kim Deters, Sonna von der Wyst, Kaj von Stigt, Michiel Kloppenburg and locals Andy Marin and teen volunteers.  Ocean Academy students volunteered as jr. leaders.

  • Community Bible Camp:  June 30 and July 1-3 volunteers from the Freedom Worship Centre in Atlanta, Georgia came to lead arts and crafts, storytelling, and bible lessons for community children.  The camp took place in the community library and the theme was self-esteem, represented by butterflies.  Volunteers Cynthia Jordan, Leisa Adams, Kim Banks-Palmer and Tammie also donated landscaping plants to Ocean Academy, as well as computer paper and supplies.
 

June 2009

 

  • Lobster Fest Pagaent: Congratulations to Ocean Academy students Vanessa, Estrella and Adriana who all competed for the title of Lobster Fest Queen 2009.  All contestants were talented, confident and lovely.

Beach clean up: June 3, students did the first of several planned Caye Caulker beach clean-up walks.  Mr. Tom Sullivan has generously provided start-up funding for this project, in the hopes that local businesses, or tourists, will add to his contribution in the goal of island beautification.

 

May 2009

 
  • Nature Trail Signage for the Mini-Reserve: Ocean Academy students toured the Caye Caulker Nature Reserve (CCBTIA), learned the names and uses of plants, and then planted a mahogany tree.  Students are also volunteering their time to paint tree identification signs to hang in the nature reserve.

 

September - December 2008 

  • Volunteer Santas at Sue's Preschool: Students from Teacher Destino's Bridge Class visited Sue's Preschool with games and holiday entertainment for the children.

  • WIN Torch Run:  The entire student body participated in the Womens Issues Network Torch Run to demonstrate against domestic abuse.  Students also welcomed guest speakers on the topics of HIV/AIDS prevention.