Eighty-five sixth graders at Thomas Hunter Middle School learned how to tie sailing knots and identify fish, among other activities, on Friday, Nov. 19 at the school’s third annual Chesapeake Bay Day, sponsored by the Mathews Maritime Foundation.

The youngsters spent the day learning about the region’s rich maritime heritage, with presenters setting up a dozen different stations in the school’s multipurpose room.

Tidewater Soil and Water Conservation District representatives demonstrated how yard runoff pollutes the water, while the Tidewater Oyster Gardeners Association explained how oysters clean the waters of the Chesapeake Bay.

Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 66 had an activity practicing the use of life jackets. "Shipbuilding Tools and Traditions" allowed students to caulk a seam using a caulking mallet and iron, cut lumber with a two-person cross-cut saw, and plane a board. Representatives from the Mathews County Department of Planning and Zoning discussed how the county’s Resource Protection Area is designed to protect the water quality of the bay.

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