Deep Dive into the Lagoon Through Literacy

In May 2019, we will bring together literacy, the arts, and environmental stewardship to shine a spotlight on the importance of literacy and the unique vibrancy of our local ecosystem. The purpose of this event is to showcase the work of community partners aligned with our Moonshot Moment goal of 90% literacy by third grade and to highlight the many ways we can care for our local ecosystem. Literacy and environmental education are intrinsically intertwined, and this is a collaborative effort that will be a powerful example of how we can spark our community into action. We will complete and unveil a collaboratively created Moonshot Mural at the main library in downtown Vero Beach, FL. This mural will be the result of collecting student work over a few months, then designing a mural that represents the students work in a cohesive way (think Keith Haring mural in Chicago). The artwork will be created in response to stories related to the issues facing our lagoon, so the idea is that the mural will be a representation of this important part of our community and how the students see it. The day overall will be anchored by a lovely story, Mermaid Meg and the Magic Lagoon about the Indian River Lagoon, our local estuary. We are bringing together a number of organizations with an environmental education focus. Each participating environmental organization will have a hands-on activity that poses a question or a challenge, tied to the points made in the story. We want to ask participants: What can YOU do? This will be a family event, engaging the community across generations.