Rite of Passage

On Monday Nov. 14, 2022, the 10,000th New Hanover County fifth-grade student boarded Island Explorer to Masonboro Island. The class this day hailed from Snipes Academy of Arts & Design.

The all-volunteer Masonboro.org’s field trip program began in 2013. The nonprofit founded by Richard Johnson created this hands-on, wet-feet experience specifically for curious fifth-graders. In partnership with North Carolina Coastal Reserve, it developed a science-based field trip to the uninhabited barrier island lying between Wrightsville and Carolina beaches. The protected island is only accessible by boat. Dockside, shipboard and on-the-island instruction by Carolina Ocean Studies is curriculum-based.

Each year except for Covid-19 restrictions which canceled the trips, every fifth-grader in New Hanover County can explore and learn on Masonboro Island. Approximately 2,100 students will make the trip this year. Many have not previously been on a large vessel. Some have not been to the county’s beaches, must less a pristine barrier island.

Each child leaves with an appreciation for and a clear understanding of why it is important to protect and preserve the coast’s natural resources to ensure use for future generations.

The experience is made possible by private donations to Masonboro.org, its annual fundraiser, and grants and support from New Hanover County.