Carver afterschool and summer programming is infused with phenomenal learning experiences provided by our stalwart partner, The Maritime Aquarium.

Any Carver kid knew this already, but for their rapid shift to online education when the coronavirus pandemic broke out, The Maritime Aquarium was recognized on Wednesday by the 241-member Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) as the best educational initiative in 2020 by any zoo or aquarium in the country!

This is the fifth AZA Award in the last six years for The Maritime Aquarium’s educational initiatives. Last year, the AZA presented a Significant Achievement award in education to The Maritime Aquarium’s “Sound Resilience: Get on Board!” program, a four-year public outreach that engaged 2,000 local middle- and high-school students in modeling how to brace our coastline against climate change.

Since the pandemic began, Maritime has conducted programs with 44 states in the U.S. and on five continents. By June 2021, Maritime Aquarium had presented 1,644 virtual programs to schools, reaching 27,344 students, as well as family virtual programs to another 11,343 viewers. Schools and individuals have joined in from as far away as Turkey, Indonesia, Brazil, India, Nigeria, and South Korea.

The Maritime Aquarium’s Education team works closely with schools throughout Connecticut and New York, providing (in a normal year) STEM-education experiences to some 80,000 students a year.

With the 2021-22 school year now underway but schools still under COVID restrictions, the Aquarium’s current slate of educational programs is available here.

Join us in congratulating our essential partner, The Maritime Aquarium!