The Bureau of Statistics and Plans, in partnership with the Guam Department of Education, are implementing the 14th year of the Guardians of the Reef Program in 2019.
Guardians of the Reef is a service learning program that trains participating high school students to conduct presentations to third grade students in the classroom setting about coral reefs, their importance to our island, the threats they face, and actions they can take to help preserve these valuable resources.
2019 Guardians of the Reef Training Participants Group. Photo courtesy of BSP
The Guardians of the Reef training was held on Saturday, Jan. 12 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Outrigger Guam Beach Resort. In attendance were 75 high school students from Simon A. Sanchez, John F. Kennedy, Okkodo, George Washington, Southern, and for their first year participating in the program, Tiyan High School.
The Guardians of the Reef are expected to begin conducting presentations for third grade students by February. The Guardians of the Reef look forward to reaching more third grade students this year with the one additional high school that has joined the program.
In 2018, the Guardians of the Reef conducted presentations to over 2,400 third grade students.