TBNMS Stewardship and Education Specialist Daniel Moffatt received the award at the National Association for Interpretation conference held Dec. 3 through 6 in St. Augustine, Florida.

Moffatt, who has led the program since 2022, was nominated by TBNMS Superintendent Jeff Gray.

“This is the third year of the program,” Moffatt said. “It’s grown and developed. It’s an individual award, but it’s for the team and site, too, because it’s not something I do on my own.”

Moffatt is grateful to receive the award.

Courtesy Photo Third-grade students at Hinks Elementary School celebrate with Daniel Moffatt, center, holding the Sea to Shining Sea Award for Excellence in Interpretation and Education. The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary’s Third-grade Get Into Your Sanctuary program won the award, and Moffatt, TBNMS stewardship and education specialist, received the award at a national conference held Dec. 3 through 6 in St. Augustine, Florida.

“My first feeling was gratitude,” he said. “I’m just so grateful for what I get to do every day at work. I get to be a storyteller about the Great Lakes to inspire kids to learn about where they live.”

He met with a group of third-graders from Hinks Elementary School on Dec. 11 to celebrate the award.

“It was a fun little celebration to know that our program and our site received this recognition,” Moffatt said.

This award is given annually by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and recognizes success in advancing ocean and climate literacy and conservation through national marine protected areas. It also recognizes innovation and creative solutions to raising public awareness and appreciation of the National Marine Sanctuary System. TBNMS is the first freshwater site and encompasses 4,300 square miles of northwest Lake Huron in the heart of the Great Lakes.

Alpena Public Schools reached out to TBNMS because they identified a gap in off-site programming for third-graders. Michigan’s state education standards require third-grade students learn about Michigan history. Building a program with the help of TBNMS made sense.

Introduced in the fall of 2022, the Get Into Your Sanctuary program began with all 11 of the APS third-grade classes, equaling 257 participants. Throughout the program, students are immersed in the human history of the Great Lakes, underwater archeology, and marine technology in the first three visits. In the spring, they return for an educational tour on the glass bottom boat to see shipwrecks in Thunder Bay. Sustained funding from the Walters Family Foundation played a critical role in ensuring that these experiences were offered to each school at no cost.

“We want to inspire excitement about where they live,” Moffatt said. “This program brings them to a place where history meets science, and we make it really fun. They are enjoying the museum, drawing underwater, building robots, designing aluminum foil boats — the goal is to be more than a field trip.”

Now in its third year, the program has doubled in size, reaching eight different school districts and 24 third-grade classes.

“Our region thrives on partnerships like this because no one has all of the resources at hand or the capacity, but when we come together, we can make amazing things happen for the community,” said Lee Fitzpatrick, APS director of communication.

In year two, student pre- and post-assessments were completed and show the impact this program is creating. Of the 174 students surveyed, 28% had never been to the NOAA Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center and 61% had never been boating on Lake Huron. Now 100% of Get Into Your Sanctuary participants have had an immersive education experience in sanctuary waters. Students were also asked, “Is learning about history exciting?” In the pre-assessment 49% said yes, but in the post-assessment that rose to 89% saying yes.

“We don’t want to add more work for the teachers, but rather add value and help them create experiences and lessons they can refer back to throughout the year,” Gray said.

There are many ways to get in your sanctuary. The Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center serves as the sanctuary visitor’s center and an interactive museum that is open seven days a week and free to the public. TBNMS offers a variety of educational and community programming, including summer programs, a monthly lecture series and the annual film festival each January.