STUDENT OCEAN COUNCIL   Gray's Reef Student Ocean Council is an organization established in 1999 by Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary for dedicated and determined high school students from Chatham county public, private and home schools who have a desire to learn about ocean science related careers. Programs are designed to give students the opportunity to learn about a variety of ocean science related careers and to interact personally with professionals such as oceanographers, marine biologists, archaeologists, and NOAA personnel. The programs have included field trips to Gray's Reef, Wassaw and Sapelo Islands which are two of Georgia's barrier islands, the Georgia Aquarium, the South Carolina Aquarium, and Crystal River, Florida to snorkel with the manatees. Gray's Reef Student Ocean Council has been given high praise from students, their teachers and school administrators and is expected to be an ongoing offering. The quotes below are taken from a member, and teacher of two students from the 2003-2004 Gray's Reef Student Ocean Council. "I was apart of the GRSOC last year and it was wonderful. I experienced a new habitat in person that I'd only seen before on T.V. and in books. I'm really looking forward to seeing the open ocean underwater. Being on the council last year gave me more of an awareness of my impact on the environment and how I could do my part to improve it." - Greg Lee, Student, 2003-2004 Gray's Reef Student Ocean Council "I wanted to send you a quick message to thank you for taking our students on such an adventure last weekend. They could not wait to tell me all that I had missed and they are still talking about it. Swimming with the manatees will never be forgotten for either one of them. I'm sure you both know how exciting it is when students' eyes light up with awe and wonder." - Kathy Maher, Teacher, Savannah Arts Academy, 2003-2004 Gray's Reef Student Ocean Council The 2004-2005 school year marks the fifth consecutive year for the Gray's Reef Student Ocean Council! Click on the links below to read more about previous SOC programs: 2004-2005 Programs and Accomplishments 2003-2004 Programs and Accomplishments Programs prior to 2001 For more information about the Gray's Reef Student Ocean Council, please contact: Leah.Cooling@noaa.gov (912) 598-2431