I'm not sure if you all saw this on Yahoo this morning, but I thought this was pretty nifty.

Cecelia

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By NOREEN GILLESPIE, Associated Press Writer

MYSTIC, Conn. - Instead of a traditional classroom setting, high school students participating in
an alternative program at Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration are getting a hands-on
learning experience alongside beluga whales, seals and other marine life.


This chemistry lesson takes a strong stomach: It starts with grinding up fish in a big blender.

At first, 15-year-old Sarah Lenney was nervous. Her partner, 17-year-old Stephen Furlong, admits
it's something he never thought he would do in school. But they break into devilish grins as they
explain their work.

"It was kind of gross yesterday, because we had to touch it with our hands," Furlong laughs,
pointing to containers filled with chloroform-scented fish parts.

Though other alternative programs exist in Connecticut, many are aimed at students with behavioral
problems or are already full.

Not so at Mystic. The WAVES program — which stands for Wheeler's Aquarium Vocational Experience
for Students — tailors its coursework to give students a second chance at success.

The participants — eight students from the Stonington, North Stonington and Preston school
districts — don't have behavior problems, but have not been able to grasp reading, writing and
arithmetic. Most are substantially behind in credits. Before coming to Mystic, some were at risk
of dropping out.

"I call them my square pegs in a round hole," said Natalie Pukas, superintendent of North
Stonington schools, which operates the program with Mystic. "They are the kids that have the
ability to succeed, they have the talent to succeed. But somewhere, they've lost the will and the
motivation, or we failed to meet their needs."

The school day starts later, at 9 a.m., giving students more time to get out of bed and get to
class. Afternoons are spent at the aquarium, where students work as staff interns in the
aquarium's departments for animal care, public education, food service, human resources and lab
research. They also move through online distance learning courses at their own pace.

"We tell them they are the captains of their own ship," said teacher Cheryl Biekert, a 19-year
special education veteran who runs the program. "They really are in charge of their destiny here."


Lenney and Furlong's research inside the chemistry lab is playing an important role, and
eventually will help the aquarium establish the proper diet for its marine life.

"They may think they're doing this just for their own benefit to learn, but I'm actually using
them to get the method up and running," said Lisa Mazzaro, a researcher who oversees the lab.

Another student, 16-year-old Natalie Browne, attended summer school several times, but earned only
enough credits to be a sophomore. She hopes to graduate with her class next year at Wheeler High
School in North Stonington.

"I love it," she said, after a half-hour session learning about beluga whale behavior. "It's so
different because we work independently, and there's nobody breathing over my shoulder."

Deborah Browne said her instinct told her that her daughter just needed a different way to learn.

Costing $120,000 for the first year, district officials hope to eventually expand the program.

Back in the lab, Lenney and Furlong carefully weigh samples of lipids and record the numbers in a
log. There's a lot of work to do before tomorrow.

The next task: analyzing penguin blood.






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