Thursday was a big day for teacher Barbara Bromley’s fourth-grade class at Lynnwood’s Hazelwood Elementary. The students have been feverishly learning about the Salish Sea’s unique marine ecosystem, focusing on ways everyone can all help protect and preserve this very special marine environment and the plants and animals that call it home.

Thursday morning, Bromley’s class took over the school library for what was billed as an Orca recovery event. This involved creating displays and interactive learning stations, which they personally interpreted for their fellow students in other classes and grade levels, sharing with them the things that they have learned and become passionate about.

For Bromley, the event was more than an exercise for her students to share their knowledge and passion about the topic, but as a way for them to make a positive difference about the future of our marine environment.

“These kids are truly making a difference,” she said.  “It’s really powerful.”

The various activity stations provided hands-on experiences in trash sorting, sifting microplastics out of beach sand, examining microplastics under a microscope, learning how long it takes various pieces of trash to decompose (a glass bottle takes a million years!), and creating art and jewelry from floating trash and microplastics.

A major focus of the event was raising awareness of the harmful effects of pollution and contaminants that enter the ecosystem, particularly the problem of microplastics and the growing problem of them being ingested by marine animals.

“Microplastics are any pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters,” explained fourth grader Heidi as she held up a jar containing some of these minute particles.  “They’re everywhere in the oceans now, in the water, in the sand, and in the animals’ food supply. As they build up in the animals’ bodies, they can be very harmful. Animals at the top of the food chain like Orcas have the highest concentrations and are particularly vulnerable.”

In January, a select group of Bromley’s students will take their show on the road to Olympia, where they will personally brief the governor on the importance of protecting our marine environment and addressing the issue of microplastics.

— Story and photos by Larry Vogel