CIS Hosts Dr. Sylvia Earle, World-Renowned Marine Biologist

Amanda and CIS students also had an opportunity to scuba dive with Dr. Sylvia Earle

By Amanda Brown, Cayman International School Grade 2 Teacher, and teacher mentor of Protect Our Future 

Protect Our Future (POF), a student-led environmental club at Cayman International School,  hosted an inspiring Mission Blue Hope Spot Celebration for our George Town Hope Spot. POF was proud to welcome as the keynote speaker world-renowned marine biologist Dr. Sylvia Earle on Friday, October 27th. POF partnered with Dr. Sylvia Earle’s organization Mission Blue, an international organization dedicated to inspiring action to explore and protect the ocean.

Over 200 students, teachers, community members, government leaders, and partners such as the Central Caribbean Marine Institute, Cayman Islands National Trust, and Plastic Free Cayman attended the celebration event.

Hear from Evie Sweetman (CIS Senior), Protect Our Future Leader:

“Hosting Mission Blue and Dr. Sylvia Earle here in Cayman was an incredible honor. Dr Earle’s message of hope and the power of collective action was impactful and inspirational, as was her awe-inspiring story of her exploration and research in the ocean, including living underwater for weeks at a time and holding the record for the deepest walk on the seafloor.”

Protect Our Future CIS students serve as the Champions of an internationally recognized Mission Blue Hope Spot in George Town Harbor. Being the Champion of a Hope Spot entails the protection, conservation, and advocacy of the Hope Spot, as well as educating and engaging the community around the Hope Spot. The designation of George Town Harbor as a Hope Spot was a direct result of POF’s early campaign efforts in 2019 against a cruise ship dock that was slated to be built and would have impacted the coral reefs surrounding George Town Harbor.

It’s truly an inspiring story of how our CIS POF students, led by the passionate and inspiring former CIS teacher Bill LaMonte and community members and organizations, all came together to protect the future of Cayman’s reefs.

You can learn even more by reading the Cayman Compass article about the event, and  watching this short Mission Blue Hope Spot Video on George Town Harbor.

Many thanks to Amanda for sharing this inspiring story with us! We are grateful for the vital environmental work and care of the young leaders and learners at CIS. You can learn more about CIS here and stay up to date with more international school news and spotlights on the ISS blog and #ISSedu.