Spotlight on Special Education

Getting green has students seeing green at Maritime Academy

It’s unlikely that the students and staff at the Maritime Academy will toss another Styrofoam cup into the trash as easily as they once might have.

Thanks to an eco-challenge from Special Education Director Inge Jacobs, Ethan Frawley, Bradley Mertins and Zach Terrill—three of the school’s eighth graders—learned just how damaging the polystyrene pellets that make up Styrofoam products can be for sea turtles and other marine animals.

Under the guidance of their Maritime teachers, the boys discovered that when items such as Styrofoam cups, plates and packing find their way into waterways—through dumping or littering—the bits and pieces that make up these items are often mistaken by turtles, fish and sea birds as fish eggs and other authentic foods. When ingested, this plastic (which is estimated to last about 400 years) clogs the animal’s intestines, resulting in starvation. When the animals die, their bodies decompose and the pellets float free, starting the cycle again.

“Turtles are getting killed,” says Terrill, “More people should think about the environment and stop polluting.”

Currently, all six species of sea turtles that nest on U.S. beaches or are found in U.S. waters are designated as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Considering that the students attend a school that sits on the banks of the Mohawk, a tributary that flows into the Hudson River, the sea turtle study was particularly apt.

“The contest was designed to get students to engage in a project-based activity that would teach them to protect the Earth while being responsible citizens,” explains Maritime Principal Pedro Roman. “The boys worked with Maritime staff and learned that they can solve real-world problems by working together to develop solutions.”

For its hard work and dedication to the environment, the school community was awarded $500. This money will be used to purchase reusable trays for the school cafeteria (currently meals are served on disposable Styrofoam ones) and to fund a trip to the Bronx Zoo—a habitat that is helping protect many of the world’s other endangered animals—later this school year.

“It was good to work on this project,” says Mertins, “It showed us how to preserve the environment and that people can work together for the greater good.”

“It also shows that hard work pays off,” Frawley concludes.

“Turtles are getting killed. More people should think about the environment and stop polluting.”

—Maritime Academy eighth grader Zach Terrill

Pictured left to right, Special Education Principal Pedro Roman, Social Worker Charles Rhynhart, student Ethan Frawley, Special Education Division Director Inge Jacobs and student Zach Terrill display the monetary award received for their work on the  "Think Green" contest.