Floating Classroom with Somerset Preparatory Academy

On Tuesday, March 10, 2026, The International SeaKeepers Society hosted another group of students from Somerset Preparatory Academy for a Floating Classroom onboard DISCOVERY Vessel River Queen. After working with a group of fourth and fifth graders last week, this week we were joined by a group of 14 second and third graders and 9 chaperones. After boarding D/V River Queen, our group listened to Captain Ralph for a safety briefing and introduction to the vessel as we left Oleta River and headed into Biscayne Bay. As we cruised through the bay, Community Engagement Manager Lillian led the group in a discussion about some of the coastal marine ecosystems that can be found in South Florida, including seagrass meadows, mangrove forests and coral reefs. The students showed their knowledge about the types of animals that can be found in these habitats and the ecosystem services they provide. The group was encouraged to look around the bay and identify potential sources of pollution, such as coastal construction, cars driving over the bridge, presence of vessels, and even a dredging crane we saw pass by. This conversation led us into our next activity led by Educational Outreach Assistant Soline- water quality testing with our Earth Echo International Water Challenge kits – which allow us to measure the temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen level and turbidity of the bay. We found these values to be within normal range, with a pH of 7, turbidity of 20 JTU, dissolved oxygen of 6 ppm, and a temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit, indicating that there are no major pollution events affecting the water quality. We ended the trip with a beach cleanup on Sandspur Island, where the students collected 29 pounds of trash, including a lot of plastic and aluminum bottle caps, cigarette butts, glass beer bottles, and paper products. We had a wonderful time learning about Biscayne Bay, and we even got to see some dolphins! We are so grateful to Somerset Preparatory Academy for an amazing outing and hope to work with them again soon.