Being a part of Discovery Hall Programs at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab means being a part of the educational programming for many students within the state of Alabama in some form or fashion.
A field trip to the Sea Lab for a few days or even a virtual field trip for a morning are just two of many ways in which students get to learn more about what is going on in the coastal ecosystems of Alabama and around the Gulf. However, one of the other programs Discovery Hall offers brings our team of educators into the classrooms of schools around the state with our travelling classroom: the BayMobile.
The BayMobile program has been an integral part of Discovery Hall’s mission for over 20 years. With a focus on Title I schools, the BayMobile allows us to reach students who are unable to take a field trip to the Sea Lab for financial or logistical reasons.
During a BayMobile visit, students get a hands-on opportunity to explore Alabama ecosystems and the organisms that call Alabama waters home. For many students, this program is the first time they get to physically see any kind of marine animal. On average, the BayMobile reaches more than 8,000 K-12 students across Alabama per year and has visited schools in all 67 counties of Alabama since the start of the program. Over the years, the BayMobile itself has gone through some changes and has been decorated with different sea life, but the mission has always been “Bringing an Ocean of Learning to You.”
As a member of the Discovery Hall team, I have been able to travel throughout the state and interact with students of all ages and walks of life with the BayMobile. At the time of writing this blog, I am about to head out for a week of BayMobile programs in Lauderdale, Franklin and Limestone counties in the far northwestern parts of Alabama.
During my BayMobile visits, a few moments have stuck with me and have certainly had an influence on me as an educator. I remember a student from Russell County, Alabama, whose favorite animal was a hammerhead shark, and during the program, he was able to teach his fellow classmates about why their heads are shaped the way they are. This interaction between classmates reminded me of myself as I, too, was someone who wanted to share my knowledge with my friends and classmates to get them excited, too.
On a different occasion, a student in Tarrant, Alabama, told me that this experience inspired her to want to become a paleontologist to study marine animal fossils after I showed her a vertebra from a whale. In this moment, it reminded me that what I do as an educator, both at the Sea Lab and in BayMobile, is opening a door to these students that allows them to pursue their interests or dreams that may have just been started.
One last reflection: I was in Ashford, Alabama, for a visit where several of the students had mentioned they had never gone to the beach or the coast despite being located no more than an hour and half north of Panama City, Florida. To be so close to the ocean and not have an opportunity to look for hermit crabs or dip a toe into the sand, this made me realize how important these visits are in giving these students an opportunity to see or learn about something they have never been able to experience.
Being able to bring this experience to students, where this is their first time holding a fish, putting a seashell up to their ears or just simply learning that their communities are connected to the ocean through their watershed, is incredibly meaningful to me. I believe this program is so valuable in that it inspires students to want to learn more about the Gulf and the ocean, even if they are unable to come to the coast. It goes to show why environmental and ocean literacy are valuable parts to a student’s education.
Kyle teaching a class at Providence Elementary in Huntsville, AL learning about Alabama’s coastal animals.
If you or a teacher you know within the state of Alabama is interested in a visit from the BayMobile, please fill out this form.
Meet the author
Kyle Halstead
Marine Science Educator
Kyle Halstead is a science educator with Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) Discovery Hall Programs. He leads K-12 educational activities, develops materials for teacher professional development... Read more
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