2021 NMEA Award Winners — National Marine Educators Association

Submit a nomination for 2022 Awards

Johnette D. Bosarge Memorial Award

Maile Sullivan, Washington

The 2021 Johnette D. Bosarge Memorial Award for service and dedication to NMEA or the local chapter and loyalty, efficiency, and enthusiasm for marine and aquatic education goes to Maile Sullivan, Education Specialist at Washington Sea Grant and NAME’s NMEA Representative.

Maile consistently works to further marine science and ocean literacy through the education programs she runs, including Washington Sea Grant’s annual Orca Bowl competition and NOAA Science Camp, through her involvement in Storming the Sound—a conference for environmental educators in the north Puget Sound region, and through her enthusiastic involvement and inspirational leadership in the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators regional chapter. Maile consistently works to advance marine education at the local (Seattle area), regional (Pacific Northwest—from Oregon to Alaska), and national levels!

As a Marine Education Specialist for Washington Sea Grant, Maile manages the K-12 education and outreach programming, helping to build ocean literacy among teachers, students and their families. She orchestrates all aspects of the annual Orca Bowl event and NOAA Science Camps, develops program partnerships, and designs and implements program evaluation tools.

Maile has worked at St. Eustatius National Marine Park, in the Netherlands Antilles, as a Marine Conservation Technician focused on community engagement. Maile has consulted for the National Geographic Society and the Ocean Conservancy. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences from Connecticut College and a master’s degree in Marine Affairs from the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington.

Maile is an integral part of the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators regional chapter. Since 2012, she has been a part of the Board of Directors and has recently taken on the role of NMEA Representative, with the intent of connecting the NAME chapter to the national organization in a more meaningful way. She was previously the Washington State Chapter Co-Director, and co-chaired two successful regional conferences in Washington State. She is spearheading the effort to plan a national conference in Bellingham, WA when NAME hosts the NMEA annual conference in 2023. Maile is a great marine education mentor and role model.

Outstanding Teacher

Jennifer Cherry, Florida

The 2021 Outstanding Teacher award for effective and innovative classroom teaching at any level goes to Jennifer Cherry, a Marine Science and AP Environmental Science teacher at University High School in Orange City, Florida.

Jennifer inspires her students, colleagues, administrators, and community members with her commitment to and enthusiasm for the marine environment. She uses art, science, photography, volunteerism, adopting endangered species, beach cleanups, and estuarine studies in her classroom teaching.

Jennifer’s students are regularly involved in hands-on activities, in real science inquiry, using the tools of the trade, and then aggressively arguing their ideas on real world topics surrounding environmental protection and sustainability. Her unique curriculum captures the students' interest, holds their attention and makes them want to learn more.

She created and sponsored the Ecology Club where she has a large group of students actively involved in volunteer projects such as the Ocean Conservancy Ocean Clean Up Day every year and various other volunteer programs. Her students also compete in environmental contests such as Environthon that again increase understanding of our resources and continued need for protection.

Jennifer has taken her students for field site studies at two different estuaries and several beaches to allow them to experience nature while learning about the habitats throughout Volusia County. She has participated in the research that Volusia County, in conjunction with Volusia County Schools, has done on microplastics and their spread and control.

Jennifer is quick to help other teachers in our district and in other districts on how Marine Science can come alive for students. She has presented professional learning opportunities for teachers in our district, served on a district STEM cadre team, facilitated Museum of Arts and Sciences Night, and many other workshops and trainings. She is always learning - whether it's on the beach doing surveys during sea turtle nesting season with the New Smyrna Beach Marine Turtle Conservancy Turtle Trackers, reading about her field of expertise, or taking classes online.

On top of all of this in this year of crazy hybrid teaching, Jennifer has continued to shine as a bright spot in education.

Marine Education Award—Individual

Amelia Rodgers, Missouri

The 2021 Marine Education Award for outstanding individual work and leadership in any aspect of marine education at the local, regional, or national level goes to Amelia Rodgers, Education Curator at the St. Louis Aquarium Foundation in St. Louis, Missouri.

Amelia is the first Education Curator for the non-profit St. Louis Aquarium Foundation and runs its Conservation & Education Center. Amelia developed the curriculum for on-site field trips to the Aquarium that align with NGSS learning standards for each grade level. She also coordinated the H 2 O Friends (Help to Our Friends) field trips for under-resourced schools.

During the pandemic, Amelia developed a Youth Essay Contest to inspire students and teachers - and parents - who were navigating learning from home for the first time. The contest allowed students to express their creativity while researching ocean organisms, their ecosystems and what needs to be done to protect them both. Amelia created themed activity pages and quizzes in conjunction with the Aquarium’s Facebook Live and YouTube programs. Realizing that there are many kids who don’t have access to the internet or a printer at home, Amelia created a 10-page activity packet for grades K-2 and distributed them as families came to pick up their free/reduced lunches at their schools.

Last summer, Amelia reworked the in-person camp she had already planned as a virtual camp. The success of the summer camp led to creating Virtual Education Classes for schools. Amelia does all of the teaching, videography, communication with teachers, and set-up for the classes.

Amelia also started a Youth Volunteer Program, partnering with a local high school to bring teenage volunteers to be mentored by Aquarium and Foundation staff to learn life skills, while also developing a love for the ocean.

As the Education Curator of the St. Louis Aquarium Foundation, Amelia has demonstrated her commitment and creativity to bringing the ocean to the St. Louis formal and informal educational communities since her first day on the job.

Marine Education Award—Organization

Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park, Florida

The 2021 Marine Education Award for outstanding work and leadership by an organization in any aspect of marine education at the local, regional, or national level goes to the Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park in North Palm Beach, Florida.

Friends is a Citizen Support Organization formed to support the only State Park in Palm Beach County, Florida – John D. MacArthur Beach State Park.

Since 2001, Friends has supported marine science and environmental education with their Natural Science Education Programs, free to all PBC students, 1st – 12th grade, which focuses on experiential, hands-on EE, aligned to state standards and STEM connections. For students who can’t visit the park in person, Friends offers Virtual Field Trips that offer a live, interactive platform where students watch from their classrooms as our Director of Education and a Park Ranger present on various ecological topics, like endangered plants and animals, ocean food chains and interconnectedness, and beach dynamics of erosion, weathering, and deposition.

Friends holds Professional Development workshops for educators, both formal and non-formal. Hundreds of educators have taken part in Project Learning Tree, Project WILD, and Everglades Foundation workshops. Friends has both an undergraduate and graduate internship program that helps young adults gain real-world experience. Interns participate in teaching, animal husbandry, leading public park programs, park and recreation skills and non-profit and state park management.

Friends supports summer learning by hosting a summer camp June through August, focused on the natural world and learning by immersion, and their Junior Friends Program is designed for students in 6th-12th grade to perform service projects and citizen science projects at the park.

Friends started a new initiative in 2018 focused on marine debris. This program was designed so that every person who visits the Park can participate and take action to help this global issue. So far, we have collected and properly disposed of over 2,000 pounds of marine debris, a lot of that being microplastics.

Friends has shown that they are committed to educating visitors and students about the wonders of our park through marine science and informal education services.

President’s Award—given by the current President of NMEA based on outstanding contributions to NMEA and/or marine education.

Thaxter Tewksbury

NMEA Past-President, James Centorino Award winner, Mentor, Friend

Diana Payne