Schoolchildren Meet the Whales

Throughout last week, scientist and member of the “Mon école, ma baleine” association Julie Mellinger accepted an invitation from the Regional Environmental Agency to meet with fourth-grade students from schools across the island. After spending two days visiting classrooms, she led a workshop at the Gouverneur educational farm. Then, on Thursday, March 19, and Friday, March 20, Julie Mellinger took the children out to sea. “The goal of the outing was to observe all the wildlife, from seabirds to turtles, flying fish, and so on,” explains the scientist. “The children learn to spot them and pinpoint their locations by dividing the boat into sections like a clock face.” ” Back at the dock, the schoolchildren are thrilled. Even though, as nine-year-old Lara notes: “We didn’t see any whales, but we heard one. It was pretty far away. " "It made a little 'Ouuuuuuh' sound, like that," hoots Tienna, also 9. "We could hear it through a cable that went into the water, and we could hear the noise." An outing that might inspire future careers. Or, at the very least, environmental awareness.