Sea Turtles, Chipmunks Among Winners of Sandcastle Contest

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA—Sea turtles and elaborate sandcastles were among the winning entries for the Oceanographic Teaching Station's first-ever event, "The Sunsational Sandcastles, A Summer Sand Sculpture Contest." The non-profit OTC manages and operates the Roundhouse Aquarium.

Sponsored by Port of Long Beach, Chevron, the Langlois Family, Bayview Pediatric Dental Group, and The Corrales Group, Sunsational Sandcastles attracted 16 sand sculpture entries with teams represented by families, schools, and local organizations.

Sand sculptures were built on the beach, in school sandpits, and locations ranged from Manhattan Beach, Long Beach, El Segundo, and Hawaii. Each team built their sand sculpture individually and photos of each entry were submitted online. The 70 votes were received virtually to determine the winners.

Winners of Sunsational Sandcastles include:

Photos of the winning entries may be viewed at www.roundhouseaquarium.org/sandcastle.

“Congratulations and thank you for safely celebrating summer and ocean science education,” Grace Adams, OTS executive director, said in a statement. “Proceeds from the Sunsational Sandcastle contest will support the Roundhouse’s ocean science education programs as well as the daily care of the animals in the aquarium. We are excited that we have been able to welcome everyone back to the Roundhouse, and continue to serve students and our community through our distance learning initiatives and limited in-person ocean science programs."

OTS’ Roundhouse Aquarium teaching team conducted a total of 519 classes in 2020, serving more than 25,000 students through virtual programs on ocean science. More than 9o percent of programs were delivered to schools in the Greater Los Angeles county area, with the remainder provided to schools in neighboring Orange county, out of state and abroad. In 2021, OTS has been expanding its reach to engage students in the inland communities of Riverside and San Bernardino through its virtual programs. Consistent with OTS’ policy of giving priority to students from underserved communities, 85 percent of the schools served were from Title 1 schools, which typically report at least 50% of their student populations are from low-income families.

ABOUT OCEANOGRAPHIC TEACHING STATIONS, INC.

For the last 40 years, Oceanographic Teaching Stations, Inc., a private, not-profit organization that operates and manages the Roundhouse Aquarium Teaching Center, has worked to educate all generations about the importance of our oceans, beaches, and tidelands. The Roundhouse has provided life-changing experiences for people of all ages, from a child touching a sea cucumber for the first time, to adults learning how their daily actions affect the ocean. OTS offers a series of immersive, hands-on and standards-aligned education programs in ocean science and environmental conservation. For more information, visit www.roundhouseaquarium.org.