Educational Experiences
Here's just a small sampling of the educational experiences the Mariners Outreach Foundation makes possible for Catalina Island’s students.
California Science Center
Through interactive exhibits on space exploration, ecosystems, and human innovation—including the awe-inspiring Space Shuttle Endeavour—students connect abstract concepts to real-world applications. These experiences spark scientific curiosity and reveal potential STEM career paths that many island youth might otherwise never encounter.
Museum of Tolerance
Visiting the Museum of Tolerance provides Catalina Island students with a profound and perspective-changing experience unavailable in their isolated community. Through powerful exhibits about the Holocaust and historical discrimination, students can develop critical thinking skills about prejudice and human rights that textbooks alone cannot convey.
Battleship USS Iowa Museum
Commissioned in 1943, the Battleship Iowa served our country for nearly 50 years, playing a key role in World War II and the Korean War. Decommissioned in 1990, it now serves as a museum and an engaging educational experience. Field trips to the Iowa give students an opportunity to explore history, deepen their understanding of WWII and the U.S. Navy’s impact, and connect classroom lessons to real-world artifacts and stories, making the past come alive in a way that textbooks cannot.
Griffith Observatory
At the Griffith Observatory, Catalina Island’s students experience the wonders of astronomy and earth science through world-class exhibits and planetarium shows. The Observatory offers a unique opportunity to view celestial objects through powerful telescopes while learning about our solar system, galaxy, and beyond. This iconic Los Angeles landmark combines scientific education with architectural beauty, inspiring students to look upward and outward with newfound appreciation for cosmic perspectives and the universal language of astronomy.
Educational Venues
California Science Center
Cabrillo Marine Science Museum
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum
Museum of Tolerance
Autry Museum of the American West
Jet Propulsion Laboratories
Museum of Latin American Art
Battleship USS Iowa Museum
Aquarium of the Pacific
Griffith Observatory
Annual Visits to Various Local Colleges
Natural History Museum
USC-Wrigley Marine Science Center
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and Science center
Richard Nixon Presidential Library
Rancho Los Alamitos