Exploring

Good morning and welcome back to Piers Park! This Monday morning I spent time kayaking in the Harbor with 3 explorers: Allison, Ken, and Aden. They paddled their way towards the bridge because it was low tide and they wanted to know what kind of life was lurking in the seaweed on the rocks. Motivated by the findings of moon jellies, they were really excited to find something. The waters were calm this morning so it was easy for us to wade around and find sea snails camouflaged amongst the rocks. We were able to find plenty, but we could only reach so far, so we ended with just 3 sea snails along with a side of seaweed and a moon jelly. They were ecstatic to bring it back to the touch tank to share with everyone. The touch tank became a mini aquarium within minutes. We had seaweed, green crabs, baby fish, barnacles, moon jellies, and sea snails! It was so cool to create a tiny environment, the kids insisted it would help give the marine organisms a home-away-from-home feeling. By the end of the day we were all satisfied with our findings and ourselves.

Wonder Ball

Tuesday, I visited Blacks creek for the first time this summer. It was another one of those really hot days but that didn't stop us from beating the heat. We began the day with a game of netball! This wasn't just any regular game of catch, it was trickier. The rules of the game were simple, catch the ball with your net and avoid dropping it into the water. As simple as it sounds, things became a little competitive. We started out with four people, Ariagnna and myself accompanied by Sal and Vanessa. The ball was high up in the air one moment and we raced to catch it the next. It was exciting and fun, which welcomed more people to join us. Eric joined Ariagnna and I had young Zoey join my team. We were all focused on the game that time flew by and before we knew it, it was time to say our goodbyes.

During our second group, we did not have as much people so we spent a little time playing netball but more time invested in our crab trap and touch tank. The kids were a little intimidated by the amount of crabs they were seeing all at once but so excited to see them race against each other. I helped give out a few crabs before they lined up and began the race. There was lots of encouragement coming from the tiny crowd to help the crabs get a move on. My favorite part of the day had to be towards the end when we played wonder ball. If you have ever played it, you know how serious it becomes when there is a small amount of people left. It was like another game of netball but much closer and fast paced. We sang, "The Wonder Ball goes round and round..." and as the tempo picked up it got a little more intense. Then again, before we were able to get to a final round we had to pack up and leave. All in all, this hot day did not go to waste. 

Netball

Sand Castle Building Station

I met up with my little friend, Zoey again, who helped my build a sand castle! It was a quiet and cool morning at Blacks Creek. Far too cool to go into the water so the children decided on playing in the sand. With a mini pail, shovel, and rake in hand I picked a spot in the sand to begin building. Zoey walked over and asked if she could join me, she came up with the idea of decorating the castle and the ground around it to make it stand out. We built one main castle and 7 mini ones around it. Zoey added windows and a drawbridge then I added rocks for a finishing touch.  We then joined everyone to make our way up to play a few games of Gaga ball. We played about 5 rounds before it was time to go and each round became more fun than the previous one. Colin explained the rules as everyone surrounded the pit and they all nodded their heads in unison, indicating they understood and were ready for the challenge to begin. Little Zoey was a little shy, but excited, she was a great sport even when she was tagged out. When the final round came around all the kids had a determined look on their face to win but Colin stood his ground and was the champ by the end.

Zoey & K's Castle

 On All Access,we had the opportunity to bring out and serve 430 people to George's Island. I spent the day fishing with different groups of kids but the one's who stood out to me were two kids named Aliana and Yamil. They reminded me of my younger siblings. It was their first time on George's and their very first time fishing. For 7-year olds they were quite patient for their first time. They listened carefully when I told them about the types of creatures they could catch. They helped me pull up the crab trap and counted all the green, spider. and red rock crabs we had. They took turns fishing, if Aliana was fishing then Yamil would be at the touch tank and vice versa.

It's a Photo Finish!

Hey Everyone!

It's Senior Harbor Educator, Briana, with the scoop on our first week of programming!

Eric leading our Crab Chat

This week has been an eventful one at Blacks Creek in Quincy. We had a huge turn out for the races, a total of 28 crabs were caught in one day! We began our crabbing curriculum by teaching our Harbor Explorers about crab traps and how they work. We buckled our life jackets up and headed over to the dock. We allowed our explorers to pull the trap out of the water and onto the dock, revealing the numerous crabs we caught. After placing each crab into a bucket we brought them to the touch tank on the beach and circled the kids up for a Crab Chat. During our chat we taught our explorers all about crabs; the difference between a boy and girl crab, how to hold a crab without getting pinched, and even about the moulting cycle of a crab. We also discussed why some crabs may have fewer legs or claws than others.

"And they're off!"

After our Crab Chat it was time to get our creatures that we learned so much about back to their habitat. One of our favorite pastimes at Save The Harbor/Save The Bay is crab racing. We started out by drawing a line in the sand and grouping explorers into pairs. Each pair got one crab and was able to properly hold it until we were ready.

"On your mark, get set, go!!" Group 2 came out of the gates quick but was the first to hit a wall. It was a photo finish for two groups and ultimately it came down to a rigorous game of  Rock, Paper, Scissors to make the final decision. In the end, the girls from group 3 were victorious.

Eric commentating the final competitors

At the end of the day we all celebrated our valiant efforts in the races and our 100 degree exploring with some Gaga Ball in the shade. Despite the exhaustion from the heat, spirits were anything but low. Both Harbor Explorers and staff members were playing and enjoying the game. Everyone had a great time, even when someone got out they stood on the side lines and cheered on the remaining players.

It was a blast!!

Now, I'm off to the races! See ya next time!
Briana

Diving Into My Second Summer

Holding a Moon Jelly 

Hey there, I'm Briana Scata and I'm excited to be diving into my second year of programming with Save The Harbor/ Save The Bay as a Senior Harbor Educator!

My first fish of Summer 2017

During the fall and winter months, I taught physical education in an elementary school and was able to make lots of connections between STH/STB summer programs and our school! My students participated in many activities and games that I learned over the summer. I also spent my afternoons coaching field hockey in the fall and track and field in the winter and spring. This spring I participated in my first Shamrock Splash and got a taste of working with everyone at Save The Harbor/ Save The Bay again, I knew I needed to be back. After an incredible summer last year it was an easy decision to get on board for Summer of 2018.

Showing our staff and youth what the underside of a skate looks like

I cannot wait to continue to learn about Boston Harbor and see what else I can incorporate into teaching children during the school year. Working for Save The Harbor/ Save The Bay has truly given me a new perspective. 

Over and out for now!
Briana

Fun and Exhausting

In just one amazing Tuesday, I got to interact with more kids at Blacks Creek than they'd ever had in one day. Some faces were new and some were familiar, with different ages and different personalities. But they all have one thing in common: They have an insane amount of energy! Their energy makes  me feel like I'm about to retire! I wish I woke up with half the energy these kids have. Here's a picture of the many kids we had, being silly and having fun.

What I did with the kids was play catch. During this, most of them learned that they got the skills to pay the bills! We also brought\back an old game of "taps" that I haven't played in years! Of course I was one of the first people to be eliminated after trying to dive after the ball. At least the effort was there. While I was playing catch with some of the kids, the others were out catching crabs, hermit crabs, snails and minnows. In the end, I had a lot of fun interacting and actually befriending a bunch of the kids by bringing out the sillier side of me.

Six Arms

Greetings folks!
This past week at Save the Harbor Save the Bay was a blast! I learned, taught, saw, and held some new things I never had before! And that's what these programs are all about.

First, here I am ecstatic about having found a 6-armed starfish.




I mean come on folks, this defies the name of the creature itself! It's a STARfish because it has five arms, just as a star has five points. Yet Tuesday at Courageous Sailing in Charlestown, our group of kiddos revealed a six-armed starfish in the flesh. This was the chance for a couple of different firsts for me. Not only was it my first time touching a wild starfish, it was also my first time encountering or even hearing about one with six arms. This is a perfect example of the amazing things the beautiful harbor can do for people like me and the many kids in the Boston area. Any previous encounter of mine that involved a starfish also involved either an aquarium or a tank. While this may be naive of me, I didn't even realize starfish inhabited the Boston harbor.

I also had the pleasure of teaching some kids how to tell the difference between a male crab and a female crab.

      


They all wanted to assume that the bigger crabs were all male while the smaller were female, when really, size does not always serve as an indication of gender. Instead, it is all about the shape present on the crab's belly. A straight triangle is present on a male's belly, while a more broad shape is present on the female's. Honestly, this is something I wasn't even aware of before the start of this position. Now I not only know this myself, but I get the pleasure of sharing this knowledge with kids who are very eager to learn.

Until next time,
Jessie

The good and the bait

over the few days I've spent my time in blacks creek and courageous sailing. Over at blacks creek the crab traps we had set up caught a few crabs as well as the kids catching very small minnows and hermit crabs, here's a picture of Edward trying to find some minnows and crabs with the kids.

next up we have courageous unfortunately I do not have pictures from courageous, but fortunately you guys don't have to see the fish I was decimating with a dull knife. We had fishing rods set up and we had the kids using the rods to hopefully catch something and we did! We caught a crab using a smaller fish that was caught from a trap we had set up. After the fish I was decimating was all used up we resorted to using the crabs as bait and fortunately I don't have any pictures of that either. At the end of the day my hands were stained in the smell of fish and crab innards. I hope the rest of you guys are having a better day than I was... 

Black's Creek Creature

Hello, I hope you all are having as much fun as I am having at Blacks Creek.  Today was a great day. I love to see how exited the kids get when they catch a snail, a hermit crab or anything really. You can see how happy they get, its so beautiful to see how happy it makes the kids. I enjoy seeing them trying as hard as they can to catch anything they can. On Tuesday we left the crab trap overnight, and the next morning we found two crabs. It is so amazing how they are not afraid to touch the crabs. When I was their age I would never have the courage to do that. Jessie always gives them a little background information about crabs and snails and hermit crabs. She always makes it more informative for the kids which is really great of her.

I honestly was so surprised at how brave the kids are. They could touch the crab with no problem. I must confess, I did not touch it because I am scared of any sea animals. However, my number one goal this summer is to get over that fear. Well this is all for now.Until next time,Sedny

A Very Happy Birthday Indeed

Hi everyone!

My last week at Blacks Creek has been nothing short of fantastic. We have had around 30 to 40 kids there every day. These kids just can't seem to get enough of our fishing, nature walks, cheesy ocean jokes, and games, for most of them return day after day. In fact, some of them enjoy our program enough to join us on their own birthday! Meet my friends Jonathan (left, AKA Birthday Boy) and Luke.

 

We were flattered to have them both on Jonathan's birthday, and even welcomed Jonathan with a hearty "Happy Birthday" song sung by 40 of his newest friends.

These two brothers have made quite the progress since joining us on Monday of this week. To begin, they were too shy to leave their grown up's side at drop off, and too shy to play Simon Says with the group (I empathize with them all too well, I too was a very shy child and am still a shy adult). However! This is not the time nor the place to be shy! Instead, we are to embrace what is around us and engulf ourselves in what the harbor has to offer us. And thankfully, Jonathan, Luke, and myself have caught onto that very quickly. Since Monday, they have both become champs at the game Museum, they continue to ask tons of questions about our lessons, and to chime in when they have an important point to add. I am so proud of their progress and their unyielding curiosity, and I am only reinforced in my love and faith for what these programs can do for kiddos like these guys.

Until next time!
Jessie

Black's Beach & Carson Creek :)

This past week, I have been at both Black's Creek and Carson beach, While at black's creek, we caught hermit crabs, snails and other types of crabs with the kids. Of course we released them back to their habitat at the end of each day. We then played some games with the kids, and even though it wasn't the best weather, the day was still fun.

Moving on to Carson Beach! At Carson Beach, I got the chance to kayak for the first time. Despite the fact I was far behind the others, I had fun. I was also the only one who took out a kayak on my own. Afterwards, I tried to do some sand raking with some of the kids in the afternoon, which was fun to do. At the end of the day, we actually lost a part of one of the sand rakes .. Oops! Despite that, I had fun interacting with the kids and joining them in few of the many activities that were going on at both Carson Beach and Blacks Creek.

Until next time, Kent

A New Friend and a New Experience

Hi everyone! 

Since I have already introduced myself, I would now like to take the time to introduce you to my new friend, Meg!

Meg on the beach at Blacks Creek in Quincy

Meg and her brother have joined us the past three days at our program at Blacks Creek in Quincy. If you couldn't tell from her picture, she truly is one of a kind! On our first day at Blacks Creek, I couldn't even get through telling Meg's mom what we had in store for the day without Meg piping up saying "I love nature walks! I love using nets!" - she seemed to love everything that we had planned before we even got started! Her enthusiasm is unrivalled by anyone I know, and boy is it contagious! If I wasn't excited enough for this summer, Meg had me chomping at the bits to get under way and to share with her this beautiful estuary where I get the privilege of spending my summer. 

We started the day by combing the shoreline with a few dip nets. After wading through the water slowly and attempting to catch hermit crabs and snails with her net, Meg found a piece of seaweed attached to her net that she found absolutely repulsive. She had no desire to go near it. With a little coaxing from her brother, Meg picked up the seaweed and exclaimed "That's not as gross as I thought it was!" And she continued playing with the seaweed and sharing it with other students thereafter.

I was told during orientation last week that this summer would be all about doing something we had never done before. In some cases it may be visiting a harbor island, while in others it may be touching seaweed and realizing it's not so gross after all. Thanks to Save the Harbor Save the Bay and our program in Quincy, Meg found it in herself to overcome her fear of seaweed, and I have a feeling that her confidence will begin to transfer over to any and all biodiversity within the harbor, given proper time and exposure.

Until next time! You can find Meg and myself scouting out seaweed. - Jessie

P.S. 

Meg also learned a new strategy when playing as a shark in the game "Sharks and Minnows." By hiding behind this big rock, Meg was able to catch unsuspecting minnows off guard, and turn them into sharks also. Quite the strategy!

Goodbye for now!

Climbing structure at Camp Harbor View, on Long Island

Hello and goodbye, friends of Save the Harbor!

I cannot believe that the summer has come to a close. I hope you are all taking advantage of this beautiful weather- keep getting to the beach, it will ease the back-to-school blues!

I wanted to start off with a photo from Camp Harbor View because it represents one of the greatest parts of working with Save the Harbor- there are always new adventures to be had. I did not work at CHV until the end of the summer, but it really made an impact- the staff is incredibly motivated, the campers are fun and engaging, and Long Island is stunning. This is the climbing structure that I was itching to get on (maybe some other time!) I am excited that CHV is making climbing a part of the camp because for me, rock climbing is stress relief, fun, and over-all upkeep. I am happier and healthier now that I rock climb, and I'm glad to see that kids in Boston are learning about this amazing sport!

Jaimie with a crab!

Sisters Jaimie and Julia with their mud-man!

I think I left a piece of me with all of the smiling friends we made at Blacks Creek this year. I'm going to hold on to these memories forever! Blacks Creek was the site I spent the most time at- thanks to our partners at Quincy Recreation, we enjoyed a great summer with the sailing center!  From finding crabs and eels to making sculptures and mudballs during our rare low-tide days, I'll have a lot to miss from this site!

Abdi at Blacks Creek with Jaimie and Jordan!

Alex and Jayda!

One of the most beautiful parts of this summer was seeing our JPAs take up leadership role. Here's Abdi with some of our kids at Blacks Creek. Abdi is the youngest in his family, but he took up leadership like a natural. From teaching the kids how to play "Taps" to taking over all of the responsibility that comes with being King of the Crab Trap, Abdi was an asset to our team this summer. He has a great time with the kids, and they are always smiling when he is teaching them.

Norah Dooley, Patty Foley,  and some of our guests at the Beach Bash! 

Ahmed, Ketchup King, at the Beach Bash!

Similarly, I found myself learning from our JPAs! Jayda, above, is one of the most organized and motivated people I have ever met. We arrived at Nautical Day at Blacks Creek and she immediately caught us an eel for the touch tank. Jayda's unbeatable and energetic smile and disposition were inspirations for me this summer. Thanks for teaching me so much,  to all of my brilliant JPAs!

As I reflect on the rest of the summer, what I remember most are smiles and sunshine. I'll always be grateful to Save the Harbor for giving me this amazing opportunity. For letting me work with Ahmed, our expert LHE, when I was nervous on my first day; for having an on-call pirate and a president who enjoys listening to sea tales with kids; for Bridget Ryan, our incredible Head Teacher.

Thanks for an amazing summer, Boston!

 Carolyn House

Bye Bye Blacks Creek, See You Soon, Courageous!

Crab-trap catch!

 Hello again, friends!

Summer has never ended so quickly! I cannot believe that this past week we finished programming at two of my sites!

The end of our time at Courageous Sailing was incredible. We were able to help out with parents and kids last week- it was incredible to have over 60 people attend our program in a single afternoon! Our crab traps never fail to amaze, but we caught a surprising number of fish, including a small flounder that Jayda, one of our JPAs, was able to get into our tank! Jayda wants to be a vet, and I trust her with everything fish-related, she's a true expert! Our last days were spent with fishing rods and smiles, and I can't wait for next year!

I will miss the amazing Courageous staff- thanks for everything, Courageous! You have been exciting to work with, helpful at every opportunity, and you have brought energy to our days!

One of our last fisherman!

Em Gaylord, being incredibly helpful and managing our banner!

Getting parents and teachers involved at Courageous!

 I am also sad to say that we finished programming at Blacks Creek this week! I could not have enjoyed working with Quincy Rec more- they invited us to their lovely Nautical Day celebration, and we caught our third eel! One parent approached me and said that according to her (7-year-old) son, our programming was "the best thing that had ever happened to him!" He was one of our regular kids; he kept a journal at home and was always ready for more adventure. I will miss kids who brought spunk to my mornings, like he always did!

Abdi chatting with his buddies!

Intense sand-castle building in our last week at Blacks Creek!

 I am happy to say that we were able to use some of the low-tide clay from the previous week to make everyone a small figurine to remember Blacks Creek. I made the seals, but the kids helped out with the hearts, sea-stars, and stingrays featured below. These two helpers suggested some kids bring home extra clay figures for their siblings and parents, and helped me make that possible! Thanks for showing me how caring you are in Quincy, folks!

I chose all of these photos because they are real highlights of my last week in Quincy and Charlestown. Each one makes me smile, and that's something that matters to me. This summer left me wishing school would never start- even through the heat wave. I could not have had this much fun without the support of my incredible JPAs- thank you so much to Daynaja, Danny, Abdi, Jayda, Bella, Luke, Andy, Preston and Ruth for all of the help and guidance you gave me and the kids!

Until next summer, keep smiling, Quincy and Charlestown!
Carolyn 

Lasting days

 summer is slowly coming to an end and while other programs are continuing blacks creek has ended. The saddest part about it is that they all didn't get to have a proper goodbye from me because I wasn't there all the time, but it was fun while it lasted. We did soooooo much! Blacks Creek runs for about 4 hours and in those 4 hours we do some much, such as games, calming, fishing, crabing, sculpting clay. It is such a fun packed site because there is so little time for so much. 

On my first day at Blacks Creek I met this little kid named Jimmy.  Jimmy  and I were together the entire day. He was such a polite young man and cute as a button.   I swear he was the best. Although all the kids there were so  cute and nice, he stood out to me because he was quiet but wanted to do everything there.

Playing with Clay

Hello again!

This week at Black's Creek we got to try something a little different from our usual activities. On Tuesday the tide at the creek was the lowest we've seen it all summer, so we were able to take the kids around a bend in the creek to give them a new area to fish in. The ground was very mucky and gross, but the kids loved it.

While we were fishing, my Senior Harbor Educator Carolyn had the great idea to use some of the wet clay on the ground to make art. The kids absolutely loved the idea and were extremely eager to help us gather the clay. This resulted in a lot of kids getting really messy, but none of them cared.

We used the clay to make little sculptures. There were dolphins, starfish, faces, and even an attempted house. I'm not an arts and crafts type of person so I didn't really know what I was doing, but I like to think that my starfish was only a little worse than five year old Emily's was.

The clay was the main attraction for the rest of the week, with most kids choosing to play with clay over playing sports. With next week being the last week of Black's Creek, I'm not sure if we'll be able to get more clay to use, but if not the kids have the figures that they made to remind them of the great time we all had.

Until next time!
Danny

Blacks Creek for the First and Last time

Hey guys!

This week started off rough. I was home sick with food poisoning and I was worried I wouldn't have much to blog about because of it. BUT today I went to Blacks Creek for the first time and sadly it is the last time for the summer because the program has ended for the summer. However, I was able to meet an amazing kid named Nate and he was the most helpful and enthusiastic boy I've ever worked with. At one point, he even stopped me to tell me that we had to take a selfie before I left. Of course I took a selfie with him and this is the photo.

Together we caught my first baby eel. 

He stood there in the water with me looking for fishes and telling me where to go to get them. When he found a baby crab he came running to find me and show me. It was one of the best experiences I've had with a kid this summer. He was such a cool kid that I will never forget now that our selfie is the background on my phone . 

Until next time. 

~Jayda 

Wildlife at Black's Creek

This week we experienced a lot of new wildlife at Black's Creek. Aside from a record number of hermit crabs, the kids caught a lot of interesting animals. For instance, they caught a small fish that was larger than any others we've seen so far. They loved the fact that it's tail had little spikes on it.

Freddie with a fish that he caught.

While digging through the mud, we also found a lot of sea worms, which freaked quite a bit of kids out. Some kids loved seeing them, but most didn't want to touch the mud after seeing them. In the mud, a lot of quahogs were found as well, which excited the kids a lot more than the sea worms did.

Some of the quahogs we found.

The catch of the week, however, was an eel that one of our youngest members, Emily, caught. It was a tiny little thing, but we never expected to find an eel so it was a pleasant surprise. The kids were super excited to see the eel, and they all wanted to touch it. After escaping the clutches of many curious hands, it was finally brought out of the bucket so that the kids could get a close up glimpse of it. A couple of kids got to touch it before it wormed its way out of their hands and shot into the water, triumphantly returning home.

On another note, we were able to see what looked like a beautiful bald eagle fly over us while we were having snack time. It was an awesome sight, and I would have missed it if the kids hadn't brought it to my attention. Sadly, we were unable to get a picture of it, but I won't need one to remember a bird like that.

Until next time!
Danny

Meet my JPAs!

Hello again, friends of Save the Harbor!

As senior staff, we are all taking time this week to appreciate some of our junior staff members! We are grateful that the heatwave is over and that everyone kept working hard to make this summer a memorable one for our neighbors in Boston- thanks for continuing to come to the shoreline!

D at Carson Beach with a clam! 

Meet Daynaja, hanging out with Lily!

To start off, this is Daynaja! If you know anything about basketball, you know what I mean when I say that "D" is your classic point guard. She great at organizing and leading, but also understands what it means to be part of the team. D is EARLY everywhere she goes, which I'm sure her coaches appreciate as much as I do.

Daynaja is always ready to laugh and play with the kids, who have gotten really attached to her at Blacks Creek! She sits with them at snack time and listens to all of their stories, and helps them draw sea creatures when we aren't playing kickball. I can't recall how many times I have asked Daynaja to do something over again for a photo or video, because I see her doing something fun, creative and adorable with the kids! She always obliges, and with a smile on top of it all! Below you can find a video of her being amazed by a disappearing-stone trick that Jake showed her. I think it was the third time that he did the trick by the time I got the camera out and rolling, but Daynaja's enthusiasm doesn't dim! Kids love being able to show her new talents because she is always excited fro them.  She is kind, and she works well with the kids because she has a younger brother- I am sure she is an amazing big sister! If you're looking for someone "D"ependable, look no further than Blacks Creek!

Abdi with mud-balls, smiles and a sea-themed bandana!

AMAZING perspective shot of me reaching into the crab trap!

Abdi's perspective shot of Nora and clams at Carson!

Rocks at Blacks Creek, photo by Abdi!

At both Blacks Creek and Carson beach, Daynaja and I also work with Abdi! Abdi has become fast friends with a lot of our kids this summer! Just last week, one of our campers at Blacks Creek couldn't stop waving and shouting "bye Abdi! Bye-bye, Abdi! Don't forget to play 'taps' with me next week!" Abdi thankfully waved back so that the mom had an easier time getting out of the parking lot! (Nice fan club, Abdi!)  Abdi is king of the crab trap in Quincy, and I have to laugh because he is always smiling despite this job. Our kids go right up to him whenever they find a dead minnow or crab, hoping to use it as bait. Even with dead sea creatures being thrust in his face, Abdi remains calm and friendly. Abdi has also gotten really good at taking "perspective shot" photos- check out some of his work below, I pulled a few of my favorites for this post, but am excited to always have someone to take a close-up of what we find!

Great perspective shot of the kickball field, also by Abdi!

I have spent the most time with D and Abdi out of all of the JPAs this summer, and I have learned so much from both of them. They taught all of the kids at Blacks Creek how to play their new favorite game, 'taps,' with a kickball, and showed me that they are great role models and inventive counselors. Both Daynaja and Abdi have shown great sympathy for the kids and have really become invested in their work here at Save the Harbor. If they had not genuinely been motivated for their positions as JPAs, I don't know how I would have made it through the heat wave, or the summer, for that matter. Thanks D and Abdi for all your help at Blacks Creek and Carson, it really has meant a lot to me!

Until next time,
Carolyn