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February Class: Group B

Group B came to the Aquarium a week after Group A and even though the weather wasn't as nice for our walk, I still think the interns had a great time. Group B is a bit quieter than A, but they sure have their opinions of who the best rapper is :)

“I like going on tours around the aquarium, I got to see things I’ve never seen before like the top of that Great Ocean Tank. I had a great day.” - Jeremy Kitzmann

“I really liked being able to go outside and see some wildlife.” - Donald Starkweather

"I learned how important it is to conduct yourself in an appropriate manner, including myspace and facebook, when looking for jobs." - DeJanai Singleton

They'll be back in a couple of weeks for their canoe trip to Francis Beidler. I have a feeling this group is going to make me laugh the entire time we are on the water!

-Jaime

February Class: Group A

February was wonderful! This class was spent half at the Aquarium and half on a field trip to Caw Caw Interpretive Center. At the Aquarium we went over resume and cover letter writing to start our job skills portion of the internship and we also took the interns behind the scenes to show them the top of the Great Ocean Tank and the Sea Turtle Hospital.

It is important that we split the interns into a Group A and a Group B so we can have a smaller class size (10-12) and also, so we can fit into 2 mini vans when we go on field trips. Our first field trip was at Caw Caw, the perfect place to go on a nature walk. The interns got to see a blackwater swamp, freshwater marsh and brackish water marsh all in about a 2 hour hike. Also at Caw Caw we can talk about rice cultivation and how amazing our Charleston history is by looking at these old rice fields and truck gates. We can try to imagine the type of work people once did in our area.

The weather was absolutely beautiful for Group A and I think they really liked getting outside to enjoy nature. (Side note - the group in my van talked non-stop the entire time to Caw Caw and back. Hilarious stuff! To be around teenagers keeps me young!). A couple of their thoughts on the day:

“The Caw Caw Interpretive Center was really beautiful. I learned a lot about the rice fields, swamps and marshes. Being able to go out in nature will help me a lot to remember the facts we learned today.” - Kaitlyn Servello

“Today’s activities were fun. I liked the part where we went to Caw Caw and saw many things…I liked when we saw 10 alligators in different sizes….I’m so excited for canoeing next month.” - Rolando Sison, Jr.

As you just read, we are going canoeing at Francis Beidler Forest in March...this is my favorite field trip and I think the interns are going to love it!!

-Jaime

Training Classes 2010

Well, our 2010 training class interns have been to the Aquarium for 2 classes now. I'm a bit behind in blogging so I'm going to let you know about our January class first and then I'll post about our February class.

In January, we covered the basic stuff like an introduction to biology, taxonomy and conservation. We also wanted to make sure the interns felt comfortable in their new setting so we took them on a detailed tour of the Aquarium and showed them how to get around. Lastly, we introduced them to some of the animals like the alligators, snakes and birds so they could get a taste for what they will be doing this summer.

The day went so fast and we had a great time getting to know them better and I think they had a great time as well! Here's what a couple of them had to say:

Today was a very FUN day. I like the fact that everyone was friendly and it seemed like everyone was being themselves….I’m really looking forward to the next class.” - L’Imari Alston

“I liked coming to this class and meeting new people, I have made some new friends…I really liked the hands-on activities, I definitely learn a lot more that way.” - Jeremy Kitzman

“I didn’t like anything, I loved it! It is so important to understand the things that surround you and you’ve shown us only a fraction of what else is out there…I’ve also learned that we are more connected to other animals than we could ever imagine.” - Laticia Singleton

“I loved everything about today…My absolute favorite was looking at and even touching the different animals we are going to get to handle….Thank you for a wonderful day!” - Kristen Oliver

Stay tuned for my Feb. post. I'll have pictures too!!

-Jaime

2010 Interns Are Here!!

Our 2010 High School Intern season has begun! This past Fall, Kathy and I went to 12 local high schools looking for interested candidates and sent packets to all the schools we couldn't go talk to.

We had 174 students apply to the program and interviewed 50 students for the positions. We hired 23 new interns representing 18 high schools in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester 2 School Districts.

This was our biggest recruitment year so far!

Here is a list of the new interns. They will be completing 4 training classes in the next 4 months learning all about South Carolina's habitats as well as job skills. If you'd like to learn more about the program, go to our website www.scaquarium.org/Volunteers/hsip and come back to read more on our blog.

Anna Adamson
L’Imari Alston
Ka’la Drayton
Hillary Evans
Carlee Hennemann
Taishawn Joy
Jeremy Kitzmann
Summer LeCrone
Angela Liu
Kristen Oliver
Erin Peifer
Jalonna Robinson
Kaitlyn Servello
Blanchez Sharpe
DeJanai Singleton
Laticia Singleton
Rolando Sison Jr.
Caitlin Smith
Kristal Spann
Donald Starkweather Jr.
Cameron Turner
Oddom Vong
Latoya Washington

Congratulations Interns!!! I'm looking forward to another great year!

-Jaime

It's been a month...

The high school interns have been gone a month and I still can't believe the time went so fast this summer.

It seems like they are all enjoying their senior year and I've already written 2 recomendations for a couple of the girls.

4 of them have been back to volunteer with us, which is amazing since the beginning of the school year can be so hectic. I hope to see some of the others as things settle down.

Soon (Oct.) it'll be time for Kathy and I to come out to the schools and recruit new interns for the summer of 2010. It'll be nice to have the 2009 interns help us when we get to their schools.

If you are a high school junior or know of a high school junior who would like the opportunity to be an intern at the Aquarium, please check out our website (scaquarium.org) under volunteers and interns!

Applications will be ready soon!!!

- Jaime

I miss the girls

I just finished reading all of the intern's last blogs of the summer and it really made me miss having them all here. We had a great summer and the time flew by so fast!


I hope they are all having a wonderful first week back to school and can't wait to see them when they come to volunteer.


Thought I'd give you some of the information from the summer:

• 10 high school girls
• From 4 different high schools (Garrett Academy, Fort Dorchester HS, Wando HS, Academic Magnet)
• 8 week internship
• They worked a total of 1532 hours (WOW!!)
• This represents 306 total work shifts

What those statistics don't tell you is the huge hearts these ladies have. They worked hard learning all the information I threw at them to be good interns and they stretched their limits when it came to overcoming some of their fears. They added so much to our Aquarium, from their youthfulness to the extra hands on the floor and in the touch tank. These ladies were a fantastic group and I miss having their smiling faces in the building.


They are a wonderful group of young ladies and I hope that they will remember the experiences they've had here this summer (especially "Fred"). It was a great pleasure to supervise this group!


- Jaime Coomes