Mote interns and volunteers clean up City Island

Instead of sleeping in like most teenagers, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium high school interns and volunteers gathered at Mote’s chickee hut at 8:30 a.m. on April 15. 

Despite the early time, the chickee was buzzing with chatter and laughter. The teenagers were preparing to break off into various groups and clean up City Island. Kasey Gaylord-Opalewski, Senior Coordinator of Mote's Digital Programs said the high school interns do three cleanups each year. The first one is more of a team-building exercise for the Mote interns, and the following two are open to public volunteers. This was the final one of the year.

After cleaning up, the groups gathered back at the chickee and compiled their efforts. They weighed the trash, and prizes were given for the weirdest pieces found. Gaylord-Opalewski said the interns talked about traveling off of City Island for the cleanup, but at the end of the day, they felt most connected to City Island, which she calls their second home.