Every year, to celebrate its anniversary, Palau International Coral Reef Center offers educational tours and activities at the Center for the students of Palau. The educational activities were on Monday and Tuesday, January 16-17, 2016. Many schools participated, ranging from grades 1 thru 12. More than 300 students came to visit and enjoyed the activities presented to them during these two days. Participating schools included four elementary schools–Ngarchelong, Ngeremlengui, Melekeok, Maris Stella School, and three high schools–Emmaus-Bethania High School, Belau Modekngei School, and Palau High School.
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The activities consisted of presentations on the importance of coral spawning and sustainable fishing, where students looked in the microscopes to see baby corals and had hands-on experience of data collection at fish markets using fish interviews. Other activities included the Palau Aquarium tour, as well as a presentation of the theme for the 2018 Arts and Tides Calendar contest. On Tuesday, visiting schools also had the opportunity to join some fun and games at the mini-carnival held in the PICRC backyard, where there were games, painting, and face painting.
These two days of educational and fun-learning activities is in line with PICRC’s 16th Anniversary theme: “Visionaries–Leading Conservation Forward.” For a better tomorrow, it is best to not only lead change today, but to teach the younger generations to lead the change when their time comes as they are visionaries in the making. [/restrict]