From the President’s Office – 5/01/09
Filed under: About,From The President's Office,News & Resources
I try not to write about the same topic in consecutive weeks for my President’s Corner; however, I am making an exception this week because the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) Finals were truly an amazing event. Marshfield High School from Wisconsin was crowned the 12th Annual National Ocean Sciences Bowl Champions this past Monday at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). Not only did they win, they won in a thrilling come from behind, dramatic fashion. I was one of several hundred spectators on hand to see this incredible win for Marshfield, and I am sure that all who attended the competition will have a hard time forgetting what they observed.
Actually, the entire weekend was one to remember. The twenty-five regional championship high school teams from all over the nation had the honor and privilege to meet and hear a number of excellent speakers and leaders of the ocean community during their three-day visit to our Nation’s Capital. Having the opportunity to listen to these highly respected ocean researchers, educators and champions, and personally meet them is an invaluable experience that the students will remember the rest of their lives.
The top three teams will each take trips that I hope will further their interest in the ocean. The Championship team from Marshfield High School will travel to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. The second place team from Lexington High School in Massachusetts will travel to Catalina Island and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. And, the third place team from Cranston High School West in Rhode Island will travel to the Great Lakes to the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Lab and the Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research. This can occur due to generous sponsor donations. The students should have a great time.
One of the highlights of the NOSB this year was that Admiral James D. Watkins, who created the NOSB program in 1997, was on hand to help present the James D. Watkins Sportsmanship Award on Monday. The Canterbury School of Florida won the award for demonstrating the best sportsmanship throughout the NOSB final competition. I know that Admiral Watkins was very pleased to see the growth and success of this extraordinary national program, and he thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the students.
In this time of a stress filled world, it was really uplifting to see the optimism and spirit of these young people, the future leaders of our country. I look forward to next years NOSB Finals in St. Petersburg, Florida. From this event, I will take away the enthusiasm and excitement of the students; it was truly pervasive. For all of the volunteers and our staff here at Ocean Leadership, I applaud you for doing such a superb job. It was a truly remarkable experience.
