Discovery Camp wraps up on Tinian

The first annual summer Discovery Camp for high school students has come to a close on Tinian, much to the disappointment of the 15 campers who took part in the action-packed week. As things wrapped up on Friday afternoon, camp coordinator Kim Vaillancourt from the Mariana Institute of Marine Science said that everything was a huge success as evidenced by the fact that “none of the kids wanted it to end.”

According to Vaillancourt, the camp was designed to give students a greater appreciation and understanding for local history, culture and environmental issues.

“By providing a wide range of hands on activities under the guidance of dedicated community members we’ve been able to instill a sense of pride and excitement about the marine and terrestrial resources available to the students in their own back yard.” she said.

Beautiful Chulu beach on the northwest side of Tinian provided the back drop for the camp and served as home base for the students as they explored the island participating in a wide range of activities. Programs included lessons on WWII history by famed historian Don Farrell, participation in a real live archeological dig and instruction on traditional crafts including palm weaving and canoe building. Ranging in age from 11 to 17, the students also took part in a water safety class and enjoyed days of snorkeling, swimming, rappelling, hiking and volleyball before gathering around the camp fire each night for stories by elders who reflected on times past. They even had the opportunity to map the stars.

Coordinated by Mike Tripp of Marianas Dive, a PADI Discover Scuba Diving program kicked off the week as students descended on the Tinian Dynasty Hotel pool for the opportunity to take their first breath underwater and to practice their skills before venturing out on a real dive in the marine protected area surrounding Tachonga beach the very next day. This, coupled with John Furey’s interactive approach to the study of coral reefs and benthic organisms, proved to be the highlight of the camp for many of the students.

“Before trying it I was scared of what was down there, but it was really cool and exciting, it was awesome, I’m really glad I did it,” said 15-year-old Raybrent Iglecias.

“At this time I would like to thank all the volunteers and dedicated people of Tinian for helping to make this happen. Without help from the local community, the camp and the lifelong lessons learned would never have been possible,” said Vaillancourt.

She also said a special thanks must go out to Donald Mendiola, David Evangelista, Joe San Nicolas, Mitch Evangelista, Vicky and Skip Hall, and Mr. Shin from Tinian Fun Diving as well as the Tinian police, fire and public safety departments.

In addition, the Northern Marianas College and Coral Resources Management Office provided equipment and science materials while the Pew Environmental Group and Marianas Dive provided partial funding.

“With all the fun and lessons learned the only consolation to the closing of the camp is that we plan on doing it again next year, this time with participation from all three islands and even international students,” said Vaillancourt. [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]