Blue Scholars is thrilled to partner with local artists AMLgMATD to offer two cause-based T-shirt designs to accompany our Giving Bay Day campaign. Proceeds will support our free marine science programming for underserved youth, and purchases made through Dec 11th will print and ship direct, with estimated delivery by Dec 30th, so order today by clicking the images above. And if you think AMLgMATD's designs look good on these Tees, just wait until you see their art banners at the bay celebration event!
Thank you, Donors!
Artwork by Alexandra P. of Henry S. West Laboratory School
Thank you for your generous support during The Miami Foundation’s Give Miami Day on November 17th. Your contribution, along with those of 51 other individuals and organizations, enabled us to surpass our goal of $25,000, which includes match funds provided by a Blue Scholars Board Member. We couldn't have done this without you.
With 2022 coming to an end, we're excited to build on this momentum as we continue to not only serve our students with virtual, on the water and in school programs, but also prepare for GIVING BAY DAY + The 12 Days of Biscayne Bay (11/29 - 12/10) and the Biscayne Bay Experience & Celebration on Dec 10th. It is your support that makes this all possible so please join us on the 10th to celebrate Blue Scholars, YOU and our bay.
52 Donors
Anonymous (9)
Christopher & Catherine Block
Gary Bremen & Roger Boone - In Honor of Ellie Bonnell
Alan & Elaine Brown
John Carr
Abbey Chase-Palgon
Amy Clement & Kenny Broad
Dave Doebler & Dara Schoenwald
Kathy & Richard Dunberg
Melanie Ervin
Morgan & Christian Falk
Katie Flood
Daniel Flores & Rebecca John
Thaddeus Foote - In Honor of Mrs. Mangrove Manatee Student Mentor III
Lori Ford
Aaron Freedman / SALT Waterfront Restaurant
Mike Gibaldi
Nicole Glasgow
Ann & Terry Goodwin
Glenn Harbold
Donald & Jennifer Lutton
Jackie Mansfield
Nathalie Manzano - In Honor of Katie Flood
Kathryn Mikesell
Newton Bay
Ocaquatics Swim School & Team Members
John Palenchar & Suzanne Koptur
Lynne & Michael Brand
Jill Reiter
Sophie Ringel
Jamie & Lisa Rosenberg
Tracy Ross
Jeanne Rothchild
Marsha Rowland - In Honor of Dylan Brown, Mikayla Brown & Ashton Brown
Jennifer & Michael Samway
Sanar Naturals
Andy Schine - In Memory of George D. Cohn
Mary & Bruce Seabrook
Adam Steckley
Linda Steckley & Pete Weitzel - In Honor of Adam Steckley
Ashley Sullivan
Matt & Cristina Sullivan
Vandervlugt Family
James York
Impact
Biscayne Bay and the Everglades watershed is the natural platform where Blue Scholars facilitates a meaningful and transformative learning experience through a 4-part series of virtual, on the water and in-school programming. To date, we have provided more than 4,500 unique experiences, 77% of which served students attending Title 1 schools. Year after year, our impact broadens.
Biscayne Bay Stewards
Last Saturday, the South Florida community was "all hands on deck" for the International Coastal Cleanup, the world's largest volunteer effort to clean our coasts. Spearheaded globally by the Ocean Conservancy and organized locally by VolunteerCleanup.org, Watson Island was the site of the Blue Scholars cleanup effort where nearly 100 volunteers removed more than 1,000 pounds of trash from the Biscayne Bay shoreline. Sorting the trash and recording the data was the Big Blue & You crew who also conducted a Break Free From Plastic Brand Audit. The results:
Top Three Items Recorded
FOOD WRAPPERS - 297
PLASTIC BOTTLES - 257
PLASTIC BAGS - 239
Top Three Brands Recorded
COCA COLA - 147 items
NESTLE - 143 items
Pepsico - 128 items
Plastic pollution is a massive problem for our inland waterways, bays and ocean but small actions can make a big difference. This valuable data allows consumers to make more informed decisions while holding corporate polluters accountable. Recycling is NOT the answer...
REFUSE / REDUCE / REUSE / REPAIR / REDESIGN
Cleanup efforts at the 55 sites across Miami-Dade County helped to remove and catalog more trash than ever before (read the full report). We're incredibly grateful to all of the volunteers and to the Miami Yacht Club and Jungle Island for hosting Blue Scholars. Special thanks also to Coastal Waste & Recycling and the many sponsors and partners that made our Watson Island Cleanup both successful and memorable.
West Lab Blue Scholars
“Thank you for teaching me how pollution goes in the ocean and how to protect the ocean and it’s animals.”
Ocean Heroes
The fourth and final program in our STEAM education series tasks each student with creating a public service announcement about how to be a hero for the ocean. It's called the Ocean Hero Challenge and it gives students a platform to be a voice for change. They're free to design anything they wish with the goal of presenting their PSA to their class and our instructors. It is here that they become Blue Scholars.
Ludlam Elementary Blue Scholars
2nd Annual World Ocean Weekend Celebration
On June 11th and 12th, Blue Scholars, ARTSail and several local and national artists, leaders and organizations once again came together in Miami Beach to celebrate our one world ocean. Presented by the W South Beach, the 2nd Annual World Ocean Weekend Celebration was a success, engaging the South Florida community through art, recreation, education and impact.
Saturday Beach activation
Stepping on to the sand, attendees were welcomed by various art installations including art flags featuring endangered species of South Florida and Modeling the Reef clay sculptures produced in part by Miami-Dade County Public School students. On the Horizon invited participants to join the sea water bucket brigade to fill 6’ tall acrylic tubes, suspending the rising seas for all to observe and ruminate on. Simultaneously, swimmers, paddlers, a mermaid and her little fish glided through, over and under the clear blue water as yogis grounded themselves in the warm sand.
Modeling the Reef + Art Flags & On the Horizon
Beatriz Chachamovits and Ana Teresa Fernandez
30min Ocean Mile challenge Exhibition Swim
Full Circle Coaching and D&R Swimming
Beach Yoga & Pilates Fusion
Maria Alvarez Yoga and Pilates for the People
Ceremonial Paddle-Out & Youth Ocean Swim Instruction
Surfrider Miami and Merle Liivand
Under the tents, educators, activists and conservationists all shared their passion and their enthusiasm to inform the public about the many threats facing our ocean and the solutions to combat them. One remedy assembled more than 100 volunteers who collected and removed 600 pounds of trash from the beach, dunes and car park.
Art & Education
Frost Science MUVE, Yasmin Mohamad, Big Blue & You, Stream2Sea, EarthEcho International, Surfrider Miami’s Blue Water Task Force and Xylem
Beach Cleanup & #PlasticFreeMB
Clean Miami Beach and The International SeaKeepers Society, with MB Commissioner David Richardson
Sunday Evening Engagement
The celebration continued on Sunday in the W’s Great Room with a lively and inspiring conversation hosted by ARTSail Residency and Research Initiative. Following the “Sheroes of the Ocean” panel, attendees enjoyed a cocktail reception and the second night of the International Ocean Film Festival.
Sheroes of the Ocean & International Ocean Film Festival
Ombretta Agro Andruff, Meredith Bass, Beatriz Chachamovits, Maggie Winchester, Ana Teresa Fernandez and Lauren Reilly
Thank you
Blue Scholars and ARTSail are incredibly grateful to our many sponsors, partners and community members who participated in our weekend celebration. From the bottom of our ocean, we thank you!
Presenting Sponsor: W South Beach
Celebration Sponsors: Boucher Brothers, Miami-Dade County and Miami Beach Rising Above
Supporting Sponsors: The Mansfield Family, Anna Rossi Shapiro & Paul Shapiro, TUUCI, On the Horizon, D&R Swimming, Radical Partners and the International Ocean Film Festival
Media Sponsors & Photographers: Impact Edition, Jetset Creative, Quinn, Jordan Braun, Tanya Manfrediz, Michael Samway and Julian Salles
Beverage Sponsors: Sipsmith and Biscayne Bay Brewing
Collaborating Partners (not previously mentioned): World Ocean Day, W South Beach, Boucher Brothers, International Ocean Film Festival, VolunteerCleanup.org, City of Miami Beach, The Motivational Edge, Overtown Optimist Club, Breakthrough Miami, Colectivo and The Ant Project
3rd Anniversary Soirée
In concert with the World Ocean Weekend Celebration, Blue Scholars celebrated its 3rd anniversary on Saturday, June 11th with a dinner party, silent auction and the first night of the International Ocean Film Festival (IOFF). Attendees learned about the evolution of Blue Scholars through the pandemic and were treated to a few Ocean Hero PSA’s created by Blue Scholars’ students. IOFF Director, Ana Blanco, introduced the series of films and led a Q&A during intermission with Veins of an Island film director, Dr. Shireen Rahimi.
Thank You
We are proud to have the W South Beach serve as our Presenting Sponsor.
Anniversary Sponsors: Algorand, Coastal Building Maintenance, Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A. and Sanar Naturals
Media Sponsors & Photographers: Jetset Creative and Jordan Braun
Beverage Sponsors: Sipsmith and Biscayne Bay Brewing
Auction Donors: The Harmony Hotel, Jamie Eroncig Jones, W South Beach, The Gerrard Family, The Brown Family, Gio Balance, Biscayne National Park Institute, Beatriz Chachamovits, The Steckley Family, The Block Family, Spa E, Full Circle Coaching, LIK Fine Art, Complex Health & Wellness, Tanya Kristina Photography, Austin Kane Matheson, Maria Alvarez Yoga, Meredith Bass, Hirni’s Wayside Garden, Ready-to-Grow Gardens, Casa Vinyasa, Stream2Sea and Waterlust
#MiamiTech Park & Bay Cleanup + Family Fun
Photos courtesy of Chantal Lawrie
It was a glorious South Florida Sunday last weekend for our first community event of 2022. Presented by Algorand, and in partnership with eMerge Americas & Miami Tech Life, the #MiamiTech Park & Bay Cleanup brought together volunteers and family members who successfully removed 460 pounds of trash from Kennedy Park and the mangrove shoreline. In addition to the cleanup, approximately 150 participants, including City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, enjoyed pilates, art, water testing, oyster gardening, music, food and the simple pleasures of a day at the park. We’re grateful to everyone who attended and are especially thankful for our AWESOME partners who led the various activities.
Waterfront Pilates by Pilates for the People
Park & Bay Cleanup by SENDIT4THESEA
Land Art Sculpturing by Miami Children’s Museum
Water Quality Testing by Miami Waterkeeper and EarthEcho International
Vertical Oyster Gardening by Watershed Action Lab
FIKARI Art Supports Blue Scholars
Blue Scholars is excited to announce our partnership with FIKARI to promote biodiversity and ocean awareness through her colorful artwork of Florida's unique wildlife.
Fidan Karimova is an ocean advocate and artist. In addition to her work in technology innovation and global sustainability, she enjoys creating artwork to support organizations working to protect our oceans for future generations. This year, her digital drawings will be sold to support Blue Scholars Initiative.
Fidan is originally from Azerbaijan, a country located on the western shore of the Caspian Sea where she learned to appreciate the importance of clean water and waterways. In 2019, Fidan began drawing one art piece a month in order to donate the proceeds to a nonprofit of her choosing at the end of the year. To date, she has donated $650 to various ocean organizations.
Be sure to follow @fikari on Instagram to see each new release and to purchase a print, you can either direct message Fidan through Instagram, or email her at f.karimova@gmail.com.