Junior and Co-President Afreen Reza encourages students to join the marine biology club to educate, protect and spread awareness about marine wildlife every first and third Wednesday of the month during lunch in Room 201. 

Reza and junior Saanvi Parepally are co-presidents who are passionate about all things marine wildlife. The marine biology club was created to generate interest and share important ideas about saving the environment in an engaging way. “We [Reza and Parepally] decided to start a marine biology club to focus on ocean conservation since it’s such a big issue affecting our planet,” Reza said. 

Marine biology is the study of marine organisms, their behaviors and interactions with the environment. Marine biologists create and publish scientific reports about aquatic organisms and play a huge role in ocean conservation and the future of the planet. Marine biology is an important and successful field of study for students because it teaches about diverse landscapes and wildlife while examining how humans affect aquatic environments. Getting kids interested in marine biology through clubs such as this at a young age is a way to introduce possible future career paths. 

Reza is passionate about marine biology and believes that it doesn’t get the amount of attention it deserves in education. This lack of representation played a role in Reza and Parepally’s motivation to create the club. Reza said, “Something that’s not really talked about in school is ways we as students can help our oceans.”

The marine biology club’s mission is to spread awareness about ocean conservation and help marine life through donations and education. Reza encourages the community to donate to ocean conservation organizations and reduce, reuse and recycle whenever possible. “There are small things we can do to improve the environment,” Reza said. 

The marine biology club has different experiences to offer including guest speakers, fundraising events and making awareness posters. One unique feature of marine biology club is the animal of the month; each month the group picks an organism to research and share fun facts about in a collaborative manner.

Reza and Parepally started the marine biology club along with their teacher sponsor, AP biology teacher Jake Buxton. Buxton said that he’s been into biology since childhood, which led him to become an AP Biology teacher. Buxton chose to sponsor this club because he loves aquatic animals. “My favorite animals are fish. I’ve had fish tanks since I was a little kid and I still have them at home and in the classroom,” Buxton said.

There are no planned events as of now, but the community should keep an eye out for any future events by following the marine biology club’s Instagram page @woottonmarinebiology. “I’m going to work with the rest of the board to start fundraisers, bake sales and make sure everyone is engaged,” Reza said.