You’re never too young to make a difference, and the City of Malibu on Monday night recognized a group of Point Dume Marine Science School students who took those words to heart by speaking out against a field trip to SeaWorld.
“With the support of their families and teachers, the students were successful in changing their field trip destination to Santa Barbara…showing that children can make a difference in protecting the world’s marine life,” said Mayor Pro Tem Skylar Peak while presenting a city commendation to 10 students from Point Dume.
Led by student Kirra Kotler, a group of Point Dume fifth-graders spoke out against an annual SeaWorld trip after the documentary “Blackfish” was released. The trip was cancelled in December and the fifth-graders will instead travel to Santa Barbara and go on a whale-watching excursion.
“I’m very proud of the fact that you had the courage to bring this up to your classmates and teachers,” Councilman Lou La Monte told Kotler.
For Kotler’s short acceptance speech, see video at left.Â
“Blackfish” tells the story of a massive orca whale named Tilikum, a male with a history of aggression that killed a trainer at the Orlando SeaWorld theme park in 2010. Prior to the 2010 incident, Tilikum had already been associated with the deaths of two other people.Â