Wow! The week has flown by faster than I could ever imagine; yet, at the same time, I can’t believe how close we’ve all grown to the young men in the JCP group.
We’ve had a wonderful week filled with classroom discussion, scuba skills practice, Fish/Invert ID practice, practical application of classroom studies in identifying coral reef bleaching and disease, a Reef Check study, community service and of course, a little bit of fun!
My husband, Andrew Hansen, is a JCP alum, class of 2003. After speaking with Andrew and his mom (who is still very involved with JCP, especially the spring auction), we managed to get in touch with Mr. Kirby and we started emailing ideas back and forth for a summer program. We never thought we’d have such an immediate interest and I was completely shocked (in a good way!), when Mr. Kirby told me that all of the spots had been filled in the first 15 minutes he opened up applications.
We’ve had a lot of eyes on us, both from JCP, as well as from different schools around the country. Of course, anyone would be a little bit stressed about working on the pilot program for a scuba diving course with 20 teenage boys! However, I am so happy to say that the guys in this program have made this program run incredibly smoothly and have made our jobs fantastically rewarding. The guys have been attentive in class, have followed all safety procedures and have just been fun to hang out with. As Casey always tells guests, this is a SMALL island (3,500 people) and you will run into people you’ve met everywhere. Everyone on island knew that this group was down for the week, and everywhere I turned, people were giving positive feedback about the group of guys including their manners, conduct and behavior in public. It has made me and Andrew very proud of them.
Although this was the pilot program, there aren’t too many things that we need to drastically change for next year. Many of the guys have expressed interest in a Marine Bio 2 class for next year, where we’d focus more on field work and additional scientific studies (Turtle tagging? Kayak mangrove tours? A day trip to Anegada to study flamingo populations? The possibilities are enormous!). Andrew and I are back in Dallas in October for a few days to visit our families, so hopefully we’ll get a chance to pop by Jesuit and visit with Mr. Kirby and Dr. Gruninger about next year’s program.
We have learned so much this week from the group and they have all had such a positive impact on our lives. I want to send a special thank-you to Mr. Kirby and Dr. Gruninger who have been amazing to work with this week. I also want to say thanks to all of the parents who allowed their sons to travel to the BVI for a week of learning and adventure. But most of all, I want to thank the guys: Matt, Sean, Connor, Rob, Alec Sellick, Arturo, Colin, Harrison, Hector, Will, Alec Sims, Nick T, Hayden, Brody, Gabe, Nick D, Andrew, Kells, Paul, and David. You guys have been such an inspiration to us. Your passion for learning, eagerness to do things correctly, positive attitude (hey, we’re not going to let a little rain get us down!) and overall conduct have been exemplary. We will miss you all and hope our paths cross again in the future.
Best Fishes,
Sam 🙂
