Jamie Aquino, a Journalism teacher at the Plantation High School in Florida, has started a program, named PIER2PIER, whereby students raise awareness of perils wild dolphins are threatened by. The first step will be...

...the designing of a website featuring a video message from a select group of Journalism students, which will feature current information about wild dolphin issues in Florida and worldwide as well as a video of real wild dolphins swimming in the ocean.

 

Furthermore, they will create an online newsletter with contact information that will be delivered to all public high schools throughout Florida and selected businesses, organizations and private individuals who stand to benefit most from the information.

The importance of protecting wild dolphins and manatees will be highlighted by the fact that the project will appear in a public service announcement (PSA) to be distributed to every high school in Florida.

 

Christopher Simmons, a wide receiver on the Plantation High football team, has written a rap song about wild dolphins.

Aside from that, the students want to challenge students at other high schools in Florida to boost the awareness on dolphin issues. The winner will receive a prize, recognition and the chance for the campaign to be featured on the website.

 

Eventually, Ms. Aquino and her students will be raising funds to help wild dolphins. One possible recipient is the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in FT. Pierce, Florida, which is going to build a state of the art mammal stranding centre. Another one could be the DolphinSMART program in the Keys.

Partners of PIER2PIER are NMFS, WDCS and the Florida State Fish and the Wildlife Conservation Commission.