Representatives from Terry Parker High School, Environmental Science, Inc., JaxPort and PBS&J Environmental Consultants, gathered as the PBSJ Foundation, Inc. presented a $2,000 check to the school’s Academy of Coastal and Environmental Sciences (ACES) Program.
The funding will be used to provide field trip transportation for students enrolled in the program next fall. “Field trips are important to the ACES program because it allows students to participate in hands on activities,” said Don Deis, Environmental Sciences Program Manager for PBS&J Environmental Consultants. Deis also explained “that because science is a hands on subject, teachers are able to better engage their students through these field trips.”
ACES teacher, Dwayne Rogers, was overjoyed to receive the funding. “This funding allows students to take field trips without burdening both parents and school administrators with the cost of transportation,” said Rogers.
Terry Parker’s ACES academy is a three-year program, which students begin their sophomore year. The program is currently in its first year of existence, and has about twenty-five students enrolled. Once students complete the program, they will have the skills necessary to seek employment as ecologist, environmental consultants and many others.
Carvalente Kohn, a sophomore in the ACES program, admitted that science has always been his favorite subject. He also said that once he’s finished with the program, he will probably attend JU, and later become a marine biologist.
The ACES program is available through the school’s partnership with Jacksonville University (JU). Faculty and students from JU, work with the school to implement and develop multi-year projects, which are sometimes used in a senior Capstone Project presentation.
The program provides students special training in environmental sciences to develop their career skills through practical experience, internships and independent studies.
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