Tribute to Sarah Tilman: An Ocean Legacy that Will Live On

March 23, 2009 — Teacher Sarah Tilman at Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C., had a deep passion for ocean science — and this passion led her to coach a school team to participate in NOAA’s nascent marine science program, NEMO — NOAA and D.C. Educators Moving Ocean Science Forward.

Teacher Sarah Tilman holding a blue crab on a NOAA/NEMO sponsored field trip to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center on a boat in the Rhodes River, Md. Photo credit: NOAA.

This pilot after school program with District of Columbia Public Schools promotes ocean literacy, and encourages students to participate in the round-robin Chesapeake Bay Bowl — a regional competition for high school students in the ocean sciences.

Sadly, Sarah passed away unexpectedly at the young age of 27 from complications with the flu, just two weeks before the competition. The team faced a difficult decision — continue on or wait for next year.  It was unanimous and clear, the team wanted to continue on to honor their teacher. To help the students through the competition, a NOAA scientist and a professor from American University stepped in to coach the team in Sarah’s place.

Sarah with her students at the 2008 Chesapeake Bay Bowl competition. (Pictured (from left):  Zaire Garrett, Gwedha Nandago, John Domingo, Daniel Jordan, Herber Ramirez, Sarah Tilman). Photo credit: NOAA.

In the final round of the Feb. 2009 Chesapeake Bay Bowl, Sarah’s Wilson team defeated the nation’s top-ranked high school. While they did not win the overall competition, their accomplishment reflects the unique legacy of a dedicated teacher working with a committed group of students.

Sarah has clearly left a legacy of enthusiasm with both the Wilson community and her NOAA colleagues. Through her insights and dedication, the NEMO program was able to integrate ocean science curriculum into several Washington, D.C., schools.  As a direct result of Sarah’s dedication to her students, a Wilson team of students became one of the first DCPS teams to participate in a Chesapeake Bay Bowl competition. More importantly, it is because of teachers like Sarah that NOAA staff were able to capitalize on a unique federal-local partnership to successfully promote ocean literacy in Washington’s city schools.

Sarah Tilman gave her students a strong foundation, not just in marine science, but also in teamwork and courage that stayed with them in that final round of competition and will undoubtedly be with them in the years to come. NOAA honors Sarah’s contributions to the NEMO program, marine science, and her students.

Wilson High School 2009 Chesapeake Bay Bowl Teams (Pictured (from left): Laura Oremland (NOAA/NEMO Program Coordinator), Reid Rumelt, Nick Umpleby, Isabel Bush, Gwedha Nandago, Thea Mink, Daniel Jordan, Zaire Garrett, Jake Mendoza, Herber Ramirez, John Domingo, Kiho Kim (Professor, American University and mentor to Wilson High School Chesapeake Bay Bowl Teams). Photo credit: NOAA.