O'Neill Sea Odyssey

OSO Catamaran pulling out of the Santa Cruz Harbor
O'Neill Sea Odyssey
Founded1996
FounderJack O'Neill
TypeCalifornia Non-Profit Corporation ID#77-0464784
FocusEducation, Science, Ecology, Community service
Location
Area served
Santa Cruz County
MethodDonations and Grants
Key people
Jack O'Neill 1923-2017, founder and co-chair
Bridget O'Neill, Board Chair
Rachel Kippen, Executive Director
Tim O'Neill, President and Skipper
Employees
11
Websitewww.oneillseaodyssey.org

O'Neill Sea Odyssey is an American non-profit organization located in Santa Cruz, California (California Non-Profit Corporation ID#77-0464784). It was founded in 1996 by wetsuit innovator Jack O'Neill and provides students with hands-on lessons on marine habitat and the relationship between the oceans and the environment.[1]

The program provides a free education course at the Santa Cruz Harbor to fourth to sixth-grade students, who typically come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.[2] The program's first Executive Director Dan Haifley has argued O'Neill Sea Odyssey's position that ocean concepts should be adopted in formal education standards and made more widely available to youth from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.[3] Haifley retired in March, 2019 and Rachel Kippen took over the executive director position.[4]

The core program takes place over a three-hour period on board a 65-foot (20 m) catamaran owned by Team O'Neill, and covers three areas; marine biology, ecology and navigation.[5] Three quarters of teachers who enroll their classes in the program utilize the program's web-based classroom curriculum and educational materials both before and after the course.[6] Over 100,000 students have passed through the program.[7]

In December 2004, the program received the California Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in Children's Environmental Education[8] and in May 2005, US Senator Barbara Boxer presented the organization with her statewide Environmental Champion award https://www.webcitation.org/5McGWJ3FH?url=http://boxer.senate.gov/news/releases/record.cfm?id=238353.[9] On August 22, 2009, the program's Adam Webster Memorial Fund received the Special Parents Information Network's Community Spinner Award for its work with special needs youth (www.spinsc.org). November 5, 2013, O'Neill Sea Odyssey was awarded the Impact Award from the Silicon Valley Business Journal. Executive Director Dan Haifley, along with University of California - Santa Cruz Distinguished Professor Gary Griggs, wrote a Sunday educational column for the Santa Cruz Sentinel entitled "Our Ocean Backyard" until April, 2019 when Kippen took over Haifley's turn writing.[10]

In 2012 Crystal Birns, Arts Program Manager in Santa Cruz, California and Doug Ross launched a Kickstarter project entitled "Seasons in the Sanctuary"[11] consists of a beautifully poster and pocketbook[clarification needed] of migratory species that travel through the Monterey Bay, and the times of year when they can be seen, for OSO to distribute to local teachers to put up in their classrooms.

  1. ^ "About The Program". O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Archived from the original on 2007-02-19. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
  2. ^ Seals, Brian (2004-12-06). "Sea Odyssey Fund-raising Hits Home Stretch". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2007-05-20. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
  3. ^ "Book of Abstracts" (PDF). California and the World Ocean 2006. 2006-09-17. p. 67. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
  4. ^ "O'Neill Sea Odyssey: Rachel Kippen ready to take nonprofit's helm". 25 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Learning Center". O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Archived from the original on 2007-02-19. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
  6. ^ "ASR Report, Page 10". O'Neill Sea Odyssey. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-02-19. Retrieved 2007-02-15.
  7. ^ "O'Neill Sea Odyssey taps new executive director". 11 January 2019.
  8. ^ "Governor Schwarzenegger Announces Environmental and Economic Honors" (PDF) (Press release). California Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-26.
  9. ^ "Senator Boxer Gives "Conservation Champion" Award to O'Neill Sea Odyssey" (Press release). U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. 2005-05-27. Archived from the original on 2007-02-01. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
  10. ^ "Rachel Kippen to continue our ocean story | Dan Haifley, Our Ocean Backyard". 23 March 2019.
  11. ^ "Seasons in the Sanctuary".