“My buddy goes to boarding school in Massachusetts, but she’s originally from China,” said Eco Club member Marinique Leary, grade 8. “She is going to make posters for beaches and spread the word about preventing plastics pollution back in Massachusetts.”

Students got to know one another through ice breakers and games. “Mingling with the students was a nice experience because we got to teach them some of our customs and show them some of the activities we do at school when we have free time,” said Eco-Club member Patrick Johnson, grade 9.

The seminar was an opportunity for round table discussions on plastic pollution and how it is affecting the environment and our bodies. Students spent the afternoon at Wemyss Bight beach conducting plastic surveys for researcher Kristal Ambrose’s ongoing comparative research project on South Eleuthera’s beaches.

“It was great to have different ideas about how to handle plastic pollution. I think it was really fun to show the Round Square students a native beach and how clean it looks, but then show them how dirty it actually is,” said Eco Club president Zachary Carey, grade 9.

During their four days on island, Round Square students also spent time with researchers at CEI assisting with experiments, such as lionfish dissections with the lionfish crew. Students and educators alike are hopeful about the possibility of the seminar becoming an annual event.

Yesterday The Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) and The Ministry of Tourism organized a ceremony to recognize Deep Creek Middle School’s achievement of Green Flag certification.  Green Flag Certification is an international recognition, which is awarded to eco-friendly schools committed to environmental education and performance.

During the ceremony, Hyacinth Winder Pratt, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, congratulated the students for being a game changer as the first school in The Bahamas and the region to receive such an honor. She also recognized their commitment as an important contribution to preserving The Bahamas’ number one draw for tourism, the beautiful beaches, clean water, and environment. She went on to encourage the students to promise that they would get their parents, neighbors, and friends involved with promoting sustainability.

Also in attendance for the ceremony was Director of Sustainable Tourism, Earlston McPhee. “It is a great milestone that you’ve achieved. A small school of this size is setting the pace for the rest of the English speaking Caribbean,” said McPhee.

The DCMS Eco-Club led the school on its journey to receive the Green Flag with pilot projects like the creation of a recycling center where students recycled Capri Sun pouches, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans. The Eco-club also imposed a fine of 50 cent to those students who use styrofoam containers in an effort to eliminate their use and installed fan and light timers to reduce electricity consumption.

“I feel good about what we’ve done. We did a lot of hard work and it paid off,” said Hershal Knowles, president of DCMS Eco-Club. Additional members of the club include Treshae Clark, vice president; Moesha Leary, secretary; Nickeva Griffin, Brittany Gibson, and Jovanna Sands.

On behalf of the PTA of DCMS, Danielle Gibson offered her support to the school and their efforts. “The PTA of DCMS is extremely proud of the accomplishments of the Eco-Club. Their success today is a testament to the leadership and responsible citizenship that is inspired by motto of DCMS. We are excited to see our youth blaze this new trail in sustainability and we commit to encouraging them as they learn and become teachers inspiring this generation to take the helm in preserving our natural environments.”

In her address to the students and guests, DCMS Principal, Dr. Joanna Paul, outlined three key areas that DCMS will build upon to continue their conservation and academic success. Specifically, DCMS is committed to increasing student leadership, sharing knowledge with other schools and teachers throughout The Bahamas, and making their campus a model for sustainability. She also acknowledged Charlene Carey from BREEF for her support in partnering with DCMS to accomplish their Green Flag status.

“It’s monumentous. We want the program to grow and get more schools to sign-up,” said Charlene Carey.