Splish, splash! In order to meet the interests of all the innovative and unique students here at Arcadia High School, many students create clubs. Among the numerous clubs to join is the Marine Biology Club for all the curious marine enthusiasts eager to learn more about sea life.
The club meets every Tuesday during lunch at S105, offering a brief lesson on an oceanic topic of the week, followed by a fun activity to accompany the meeting.
“We teach about what’s in the water,” mentioned junior Secretary Talia De Vera. “Along with how to help our oceans and its inhabitants.”
The club’s main objectives are to teach students more about sea life as well as the importance of the ocean and the environment. Because of the rising sea levels and emerging climate change issue, the Marine Biology Club strongly encourages students to recognize the impact the ocean has on everyday life, whether it be humans or the fish themselves.
Some of the topics already covered from this year’s meetings include lessons on coral reefs, aquaculture, and how to care for your fish. The specific purpose of the chosen presentations is to help educate the members with tips they can use concerning marine life protection
“We started this club not only to teach and motivate [our] members to learn and interact more with sea life but also to learn more about it themselves and create a connection with the ocean,” stated junior President and Co-founder Jade Szeto.
Initially, Szeto had planned to start a club since freshman year. After her club idea about crocheting was faced with tough competition in sophomore year and failed to get chartered, she decided to challenge herself and explore a less familiar topic: Marine Biology. Fortunately, from her previous Biology and AP Environmental Science classes, she gained a basic understanding of the subject. Slowly, but surely, Szeto gathered enough knowledge on the subject.
Compared to her sophomore year club idea that consisted of a council of students well-knowledgeable on the subject matter, Szeto chose a different approach this time around for choosing her club officers.
“It was a bit more difficult to find people that I communicated well with that were also educated in the topic, so I prioritized communication rather than their experience with marine biology, since we could all learn together,” Szeto admitted.
In terms of upcoming events, the Marine Biology Club will be doing a fundraiser later this month by selling squishy animals to raise funds and donate to local ocean-saving projects. They’re also planning a field trip to an aquarium in the near future, although it’s not set in stone yet.
“We hope to educate students about the ocean and its importance in the world.” shared president and co-founder Khoa Do. We want everyone to be engaged in saving marine life while also learning about it in order to realize how drastically the world and its environment are being damaged. We hope to inspire people to spread this information or use it to help save marine life in the real world.”
With the combination of both educational and recreational purposes, the club has proven to be an enjoyable way to help combat current environmental issues. So whenever you find yourself with nothing to do on a Tuesday lunch, don’t be afraid to stop by S105, hold your breath, and dive into the fun!
Photo by Lucia Lim
