At St. Catherine’s British School, we believe that caring for our planet—and especially our oceans—shouldn't be limited to a single day or season. We are also proud to announce that our school has officially joined the Network of European Blue Schools, one of the three pillars of the EU4Ocean Coalition. This network brings together schools across Europe that are committed to integrating marine-related topics into the classroom and fostering a new generation of ocean-literate citizens.

While World Ocean Day is officially marked on the 8th of June, it coincides with one of the busiest times of the academic year, overlapping with residential trips and a long weekend that limits participation for many students. That’s one of the reasons we proudly hosted our World Ocean Day celebration in February. After all, living in Greece means living beside the sea, and protecting our oceans is a year-round responsibility. This timing allowed for deeper engagement across the school community, especially among our youngest learners, and helped reinforce the idea that environmental action is not seasonal—it’s sustained.

The event showcased work of many children from the Lower School, as well as creative contributions from Upper School; some had created mini aquariums, some designed their own outfit to show in the sustainable fashion show, while others joined the choir and performed a Go Green song. Each year group was given a different direct-action environmental organisation to learn about, work with and create a project for, such as posters about marine life in our oceans and a crocheted artwork made up of individual squares woven out of recycled plastic.

With a topic so close to their mission, the Lower School Eco Club arranged many hands-on activities, such as a life-size board game, a face-in-the-hole cut out and a large drawing board. But perhaps the most beloved highlight was the Eco Club-organised fashion show in which the performers had created their own outfits using lost property, second hand clothes, or homemade clothes. Many of the Eco Club’s members were also part of the choir.

The atmosphere was one of enjoyment and education, with lots of smiles all around, as well as laughter, lively conversations, and a warm sense of togetherness.

“World Ocean Day is an important opportunity to raise awareness about the environmental challenges our oceans face,” said Mrs. Shore, Head of Lower School. “By collaborating with a range of partners and engaging our students, we’re showing how working together with our communities can inspire positive change and help protect our oceans for future generations.”

The event’s organisation partners, along with the student project displays, brought the wonder of the day to life, including:

• Planet Agents and EYFS: The children learned about how to be a good Agent for our Planet through an interactive floor game. http://planetagents.org
• Healthy Seas in collaboration with Year 1 and 2: The Seahorse Project. Discovering the ocean through the enigmatic seahorse. https://www.healthyseas.org/
• iSea in collaboration with Year 3: Year 3 found out all about sharks, their importance in a healthy underwater eco system and why we need to protect them - you can even adopt a shark at https://isea.com.gr/.
• Thela and 3Quarters in collaboration with Year 4: Year 4 children took part in a Multicolored Weaving project reusing plastic bags. These circular fashion brands inspire us to get creative and upcycle what we already have, diverting plastic waste from landfills to handcraft new premium products. https://thela.eco/ and https://3quarters.design/
• Thiswasasheet.com in collaboration with Year 5: An eye-opening project about Fast Fashion and its effects on the planet. Year 5 designed a logo for an upcycled tote bag and delved into the Circular Economy concept with thiswasasheet.com. who transform hotel sheets and towels into shirts, dresses, tote bags and slippers. https://thiswasasheet.com/
• The Sea Shepherds in collaboration with Year 6: Octopus Defenders! Y6 learned all about this incredible cephalopod with Sea Shepherd Greece who actively campaign against illegal fishing and poaching of our ocean's most vulnerable species. https://seashepherd.gr/

Additionally, the event hosted a collaborative Art and Design initiative with Year 7 and 8s who made an outstanding ocean-themed tiled mural for our Carpo Gardens. Come and take a look!

Special thanks to:

• Athanasios C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation with their informative SeaVision photo exhibition and interactive museum game. A real hit with the kids! https://www.aclcf.org/en/
• Marianthi Sikiotou from Upper School, who brought Climate Fresk - an interactive workshop that teaches climate science based on IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports. It uses a card game to help players understand the links between factors like greenhouse gases, temperature rise, and extreme weather, empowering them to take action on climate change.
• Drs. John Gittings and Kleopatra Kalloniati, ocean scientists from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens - Marine Biology Department, who showed us the tiniest elements of our oceans through a microscope.
• Our Lower School language departments.  The Year 6s stunning mural about Ο Θεός Ωκεανος from Greek mythology and Year 4s mural about the great French explorer and oceanographer Jacques Cousteau.
• Our School Council added a touch of their own with their Ocean-inspired carnival mask initiative.
• A shout out to our wonderful PTSA whose creative decorations and hard work added the final visual touch to the event.
• And the children and teachers who walked the ramp with their upcycled fashion items showing us how to be chic without being wasteful.

This range of contributions and organisations helped raise awareness of the challenges evident in our oceans, showing us what we can do to help by demonstrating their positive actions toward solving the problem.

As we head into summer and spend more time by the sea, let’s remember that our oceans need us—not just on World Ocean Day, but every day. Whether it’s picking up litter at the beach, reusing what we already have, or learning more about marine life, each small action can make a big difference. Living in Greece means we’re lucky to be close to the water—so let’s all do our part to keep it clean, healthy, and full of life for generations to come.