Shell Museum Educators – Jessie Macaluso, Chris Whitt, Jorden Falker, Savanna Wilkinson, & Carrie Driskell. -COURTESY PHOTO
With the beginning of the new school year, the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium has increased its staff, transportation, and supplies capacity to educate more K-12 students through its field trip and “Mollusks on the Move” mobile outreach program.
During the 2025-26 school year, the museum educated more than 15,000 students at over 50 schools in Lee and Collier Counties. This was the record participation and the maximum number of schools that could be served with existing resources. Accordingly, over the summer, the museum increased education staff and added a second outreach program vehicle to its fleet to allow for more coverage to reach more schools and students.
“The museum’s K-12 programs are an innovative way to teach about shells, science, and conservation, and to support students’ learning,” said museum director of education Jorden Falker. “The impact of the programs and high demand from schools and teachers prompted the Museum to make these investments, which will make it possible to educate even more students this coming school year.”
K-12 program options include:
Guided field trips: Students meet marine life in the aquariums, explore the Great Hall of Shells, take a guided tour with Museum educators, and participate in a scavenger hunt.
“Mollusks on the Move”: For schools that can’t make it to the Museum for a field trip, marine biologists bring the mollusks to the classroom and provide an interactive experience of live mollusks, shells, games, and artmaking.
Mollusks online: Marine biologists bring the wonders of shells and mollusks virtually to classrooms, including octopuses and other marine life.
Most of the time, these programs are available at no cost to schools or students thanks to donors who support the Museum’s giving program, “Adopt-A-Class.” The program assures that students at Title 1 schools have access to the museum’s programs regardless of ability to pay.
To learn more about K-12 programs and “Adopt-A-Class,” please visit ShellMuseum.org/k-12 and contact Jessie Macaluso at jmacaluso@shellmuseum.org with inquiries.
About the museum
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium is a natural history museum and aquarium, and the only museum in the United States devoted primarily to shells and mollusks. Its mission is to educate and inspire an understanding of mollusks, their shells, and their habitats using exceptional experiences, collections, and science. Permanent exhibitions on view include the Great Hall of Shells, which displays highlights of the museum’s collection of more than 600,000 shells, as well as the Living Gallery of Aquariums and over 60 species of marine life. For more information, please visit ShellMuseum.org or call (239) 395-2233.