LYNN — A $6,000 grant from the Friends of Lynn & Nahant Beach will support marine science education in the Lynn Public Schools.
The grant was awarded to the Northeastern University Marine Science Center in Nahant, which will support marine science programming in eight Lynn elementary schools, allow 40 marine science-oriented high school students to attend the 2019 High School Marine Science Symposium in March, and provide a summer scholarship for a Lynn student to attend Northeastern’s Coastal Ocean Science Academy.
“The Friends of Lynn & Nahant Beach have been very generous to the students of Lynn,” said School Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler in a statement. “This grant provides some of our youngest and oldest students with the quality marine science programming offered by the Northeastern Marine Science Center. We thank the Friends for their generosity and continued support.”
Since 2014, the Friends of Lynn & Nahant Beach have provided the Lynn Public Schools with more than $20,000 in financial support through allocation to the Marine Science Center, according to a press release from the organization.
Aborn, Brickett, Cobbet, Ford, Harrington, Hood, Ingalls and Washington were the eight Lynn elementary schools selected for assistance. The high school students attending the symposium attend Lynn English, Lynn Classical or Lynn Vocational Technical Institute, according to the organization.
“It’s great to see the Friends of Lynn and Nahant Beach taking an interest in our schools,” said Mayor Thomas M. McGee in a statement. “Through their generosity and partnership with the Northeastern Marine Science Center, they have given the opportunity to a number of students of the Lynn Public Schools to participate in marine science programming.”
Friends’ President Bob Tucker said in a statement “educating the next generation about the importance of the ocean and our beaches is a priority for us. The Friends are committed to working with groups like Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center to help younger and older Lynn kids appreciate the jewel at our shores and educational and job opportunities in marine science.”
Valerie Perini, outreach program coordinator at the Marine Science Center, said in a statement the partnership over the years has served more than 2,000 Lynn students and will benefit 700 more this year, “providing firsthand experiences interacting with local marine life and scientists.”