KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Osceola High School teacher Andrew Hayes encourages his students to take a deep dive into marine science. 

"Last year, I was awarded $17,500 in grants to build an aqua culture and genetics program at the school," Hayes said. 

Students analyze data from 18 tanks. Some of them are freshwater, while others are saltwater.

Students love the challenge of the program, Hayes said.

"It's gotten to the point where they'd come up and say, 'Hey what is this reading?' as they're measuring,” he said. “Now it’s like, 'Mr. Hayes, I got it. I don't need your help,' which is a great thing because they've taken that full ownership."

Other students outside his classroom are clamoring to get in, Hayes added.

"Kids will tell their friends or the kids will walk by and look in the classroom, 'Like what is this class? How do I get into this class next year?’ " he said.

He said he hopes students make a strong connection to the marine world and protect it.

"Even when we've had a fish pass away, the kids get pretty heartbroken because they've put so much work and effort into these tanks,” Hayes said. “But if they take that much effort on the tanks now, we hope they send that message and continue that once they leave, graduate and then, hopefully, they'll have a bigger role as an adult."

He said he hopes they will make a real impact on Florida’s waters.

"We're trying to get them to kind of see what's going on in our native waters, tying it back to algae blooms, red tide and having those kids directly impacted because here in Kissimmee we're at the headwaters of the Everglades,” Hayes said. “We have a lot of direct impact on our natural waterways."