Students Skype with aquanauts

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Fifth grade students at Eaton Elementary School joined marine explorers Thursday morning for an underwater mission. Well, sort of.

The students connected with researchers working at the undersea Aquarius Reef Base in Florida through Skype. The crew is part of a 31-day mission. That’s the longest undersea mission ever attempted.

Of course, that didn’t keep Fabien Cousteau, grandson of famed marine explorer Jacques Coustea, from answering questions ranging from, “How do you sleep underwater?” to “What do you eat down there?”

“The engagement that I see, that I witness as a teacher, when those kids get to see something that real right in front of them is amazing,” said Cape Fear Academy Biology teacher Carr Fullagar. “Whether it’s through Skype or if we travel outside of the classroom. It just opens up the opportunity for them to listen more and to be more engaged. I get a lot more out of it as a teacher and them as students.”

Fullagar says the Skype interview was a unique way to tie marine biology into the fifth grade curriculum. It’s an experience only a few classrooms in the world will be a part of.