Ocean Academy Girls Rising and Staying in School

"Back to School" Those are such exciting words as we prepare to start our 16th school year. 
YOU, our supporters, have made every step of the way possible. Thank you!

Our student body has grown to 175.  When we opened in 2008, one of our hopes was to one day hire our graduates as the teachers and leaders.  That has continued to happen!  Ocean Academy alumni currently work as teachers, office staff and technology assistant.

The Social Enterprise program is getting back on its feet as tourism continues to increase on Caye Caulker.  Students are thrilled to be training to lead bicycle and kayak tours,

The number of female students participating in athletics and technology classes continues to grow.  Last school year, we had enough female athletes to field teams in Volleyball, Basketball and Soccer.  And we had female athletes participate in regional and national track and field events.

With the help of donors like you, Ocean Academy students continue to strive to meet their potential and to follow the path to their best lives.

July was a busy month on our campus as we again hosted a Digital Technology Summer Camp called "Introduction to New Technology and Cyber Security Awareness".  This opportunity is possible thanks to our partnership with Digital Silence (website URL below). Digital Silence is a team of cyber security professionals who volunteer their time and expertise with Ocean Academy to lead intensive specialization courses. The camp also empowers youth to develop employability and entrepreneurial skills.  Last summer, they engaged students and police officers in digital literacy skills, digital forensics and cyber security awareness.  This summer, the camp will extend to two sessions of one week each.

Ocean Academy is a leader in secondary education in Belize.  Ocean Academy proudly hosted Honourable Minister of State for Education, Dr. Louis Zabaneh, along with his curriculum team to review Ocean Academy’s competency-based learning models. Ocean Academy’s administrators, teachers, students and a parent shared their experiences with the team. The team applauded the progress OA has made toward building 21st Century skills through competency-based learning and encouraged students to continue to follow their passion. 

Dear GlobalGiving donors, thank you for believing in all of our students, but especially for supporting opportunities for girls. Thank you for believing in the value of investing in their education.  You are truly making an impact.  

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Dear Friends and Supporters of Ocean Academy, 

THANK YOU for EMPOWERING girls and INSPIRING hope for our island to overcome the recent difficult years of financial hardship and health challenges that we have faced. 

Thank you for making a world of difference for our little school in Belize to continue educating the youth of Caye Caulker!

As we approach Easter Break, we realize that this year's Form 4 students (seniors) were Form 1 (freshmen) back in the spring of 2020 when the Covid Pandemic brought school closures all across Belize.  That means that they are the only Ocean Academy students who have experienced a "normal" school year with extra-curricular activities, including athletics, internships, house competitions and club activities.

The rest of the student body have had a very different high school experience.  They experienced an entire school year of distance learning, followed by a year of distance/hybrid learning.  And THIS is their first year to enjoy and to participate in a variety of extra-curricular activities.

As always, Ocean Academy makes a conscious and concerted effort to increase female involvement in extra-curricular activites. House competitions were used to encourage more active engagement in team sports; soccer, basketball and volleyball.  Donors like YOU have helped to provide the athletic equipment needed for these sports.

For those unfamiliar, the house system is a traditional feature of schools in the United Kingdom. The practice has since spread to Commonwealth countries and the United States.  The school is divided into subunits called "houses" and each student is assigned to one house at the moment of enrollment.  Houses may compete with one another at sports and maybe in other ways, thus providing a focus for group loyalty.

Thanks to you, Ocean Academy continues with another year of commitment to universal education so that every child on Caye Caulker has access to a high school education.  

YOU are making this vision a reality.  YOU are changing lives.  Thank you.  

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