Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is pleased to recognize support from Manatee Community Foundation for Mote\u2019s award-winning education programs. Thanks to The Bishop-Parker Foundations Fund of Manatee Community Foundation, Mote and partners at Pace Center for Girls will provide year-round monthly STEM programming for 40 Manatee County students at Pace for the year. This is the 7th year of partnership between Mote and Pace, which works to create an environment that fosters the long-term growth and development of young women in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur partnership with Pace allows our educators to connect with Pace students and their instructors to provide hands-on opportunities, both at Pace and during seasonal field trip visits to Mote Aquarium,\u201d said Elaina Wheaton, Mote\u2019s Director of Education. \u201cBy partnering directly with alternative schools and afterschool programs such as Pace, we are able to fill gaps in local education programming by leveraging Mote science and educators to engage participants in highly-interactive learning experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through virtual interactive lessons, in-person visits to Mote, and targeted lesson plans, students at Pace will learn more about marine animals, the factors that contribute to healthy marine ecosystems, and learn more about conservation-minded practices. Participation in the program also helps girls develop the self-confidence needed in academic settings to engage with STEM content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy partnership with Mote, we\u2019re able to give our girls the confidence to look towards STEM career options that they might not have otherwise thought available to them,\u201d said Pace Program Coordinator Lena Neal. \u201cThe hands-on activities and opportunities to visit Mote are lifelong memories for the girls, and we can see their passion towards marine science and STEM develop over the course of the program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n