Kayaking and snorkeling got the highest marks on Friday from several students wrapping up their five-day stay at a V.I. Environmental Resource Station science camp.
“But my best memory was with my roommates, laughing at all the jokes,” said Silas Wisehart, a 13-year-old St. Thomas resident who attends Montessori School.
The Friends of V.I. National Park sponsored the science camp, which had 24 students ranging in age from 13 to 17. Sixteen of them were from St. Thomas, four from St. John and four from St. Croix. The Friends also sponsored four eco-camps this summer for students 7 to 12. A ranger-in-training camp is planned for next week for students ages 13 to 17.
Friends President Joe Kessler said that part of the organization’s job is nurturing the next generation of “conservation citizens.”
“They’re going to be the future stewards of our island,” Kessler said.
VIERS administrator Randy Brown said the students at the science camp were “extra special.”
“They have some insight into what they want to do,” he said.
While fun is always important at VIERS camps, some of the students came because they are passionate about science.
“I want to be a veterinarian,” said Carl-Michael James, 15 and a student at Central High School on St. Croix.
For James, the opportunity to learn scientific methods he can use when he goes back to school in the fall was important.
Andrew Lawson, a 13-year-old St. Thomas resident who attends Sts. Peter and Paul School, was also keen on the science aspects of the camp.
“I learned a lot more about coral reefs and glow worms,” he said.
St. Thomas resident Jazzlynn Gomez, 13 and a student at Charlotte Amalie High School, said she has wanted to be a marine biologist since she was a little girl.
“I’m a very curious girl who wants to learn more about natural resources,” she said.
St. John resident Francine Francis, a 17-year-old who also attends Sts. Peter and Paul on St. Thomas, hasn’t totally made up her mind about her future but would said she like to work for the national park.
Francis said she likes history but could “break out” into archeology or anthropology. She said she really liked the camp’s educational aspects, particularly seeing the different insect parts.
St. Croix resident Braudio Elsi, a 16-year-old CHS student, plans a career in the U.S. Coast Guard so the chance to explore science was a plus, he said, adding: “And I learned how to snorkel better.”
St. Thomas resident Akuma Parris, 13 and a Bertha Boschulte School student, was surprised by his parents with enrollment in science camp.
“The food is very good,” he said.
Lauryn Samuel, 14 and a St. John resident who attends Eudora Kean High School on St. Thomas, said she wants to be a cartoonist and learn Japanese. For her, like many of the students, the camp was a chance to meet new people. “And have fun,” she said, summing up her experiences.
