Shorecrest Re-Designated as Ocean Guardian School

Shorecrest was recognized as an Ocean Guardian School for the 2nd year in a row for work done during the 2021-2022 school year. The recognition comes from NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

To obtain the recognition, Chargers worked hard last year to care for the local watershed. Middle School students collected a total of 411 lbs. of trash from the 54th Avenue North canal as well as other areas around St. Petersburg.

Part of the initiative last year was to collect data regarding our paper-only recycling program and single-use plastic available on campus. Middle school students measured the amount of paper recycled each week and determined the Middle School and Lower School had the cleanest, most consistent amount of paper that was correctly recycled.

Cole O '26, Hayden H '26 and Emma M '26 interviewed SAGE Dining, the Athletics Department, and Shorecrest's events coordinator to determine the prevalence of single-use plastic on campus. The eighth graders researched alternatives to single-use plastic products and the information was passed on to Shorecrest staff with the intention of reducing the single-use plastic footprint on campus.  

The National Marine Sanctuary System was instituted by the United States government in the 1970s and is run nationally by NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an American scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce. The System promotes environmental protection, stewardship and ocean research and protects areas of special national significance within our oceans.