APOLLO BEACH, Fla. — Tampa Bay area teachers are participating in the Guy Harvey Conservation Educators program where they will receive hands-on training, and opportunities for grants to bring their students back to the center.

Through the program, teachers from Polk, Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties can attend free training sessions at the Suncoast Youth Conservation Center in Apollo Beach.

What You Need To Know

  • The Guy Harvey Conservation Education program is free for teachers in Polk, Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties 

  • The training sessions are hands on, and held at the Suncoast Youth Conservation Center in Apollo Beach

  • TECO pledged to fund the program for the next three years

“What they’re able to do is dive deep into educational materials supporting marine education that they can then bring back to their classroom and inspire their kids to be ocean masters,” said Guy Harvey Foundation CEO Jessica Harvey.

It’s a role reversal for the teachers, as during this time, they’re back to being students. Enith Hernandez, who teaches biology and environmental science at St. Petersburg Catholic High School, said that as conservationist, the lessons are right up her alley.

Hernandez and the other teachers participating in the program — which is named for renowned artist and conservationist Dr. Guy Harvey — recently started their day with a kayak safety lesson. Once finished, they got ready to head out onto the water from the Suncoast Youth Conservation Center.

The Guy Harvey Foundation partnered with TECO to offer the three-year education program on the ocean and conservation, and the teachers will be able to bring their students back to experience it all for themselves.

“Sometimes students need an outdoor classroom because they need to see with their own eyes what’s out there and the things they can come out, and enjoy," Hernandez said. "Because they do that all the time — they come out — but they don’t have the education or the proper knowledge about how to protect these areas."

The program offers a two-day training session, and while Hernandez is out on the water, another group of teachers is learning about sharks in the classroom portion. The Guy Harvey Conservation Education program is free for teachers, and organizers say the hope is that they’ll carry their excitement for what they learned back to their students.

“It was amazing. There was a beautiful mangrove tunnel, lots of wildlife,” Hernandez said after returning from the kayak trip. “These opportunities bring me to be a student again, and I love studying, I love learning. Especially if you are in nature — something I am so passionate about and I wish I could transfer that to my students, the way I feel about nature. And hopefully I’m inspiring these future leaders that they’re able, later on, to protect these areas.”

Hernandez said if this could be her classroom every day, she would be thrilled, but even bringing her students back for one day, she hopes will inspire them to make a difference.

The program is open to all elementary, middle and high school teachers for the next three years. The Guy Harvey Foundation says ultimately, it will benefit more than 380,000 students in the Tampa Bay area.