By Michelle Edgar
More than 2,000 students from across Los Angeles County traded classrooms for coastline Thursday morning as they gathered at Dockweiler State Beach for the 30th Kids Ocean Day, one of California’s largest youth environmental education and beach cleanup events.
This year’s theme, “Coast For All,” came to life as students formed a massive human art installation across the sand after participating in a beach cleanup and environmental stewardship activities designed to connect young people to California’s coastline.
For many students, the experience was more than educational, but transformational. “Out of those 2,000 kids, there’s about 400 who have actually never been to the beach before,” said Michael Klubock, founder of the Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education and creator of Kids Ocean Day. “Our underlying goal here is that these kids walk away falling in love. Some kids come out here and just put their hands in the sand and say, ‘Wow, sand.’”
Klubock has spent more than three decades building the program into a statewide movement focused on environmental awareness, ocean conservation, and youth engagement. What began as a local beach cleanup inspired by his own love of sailing and the ocean has expanded into a major educational initiative reaching students across California, including San Diego, San Francisco, Orange County, and Humboldt County. Since 1994, more than 790,000 children have participated in Kids Ocean Day programs statewide.
Leading up to the event, students participated in school assemblies focused on pollution, storm drains, marine ecosystems, and the impact litter has on ocean life.“We talked to these kids about how trash washes through storm drains into the ocean and affects marine life,” Klubock said. “But beyond the cleanup itself, we’re trying to create another citizen who falls in love with the resource and wants to protect it.”
For Compton Unified School District Superintendent Darin Brawley, the experience represents something much bigger than a field trip. “When our students experience the ocean firsthand, they deepen their understanding of science, environmental stewardship, and their own responsibility to protect natural resources,” Brawley said. “These experiences expand their curiosity, build real world knowledge, and remind them that they are not just learners; they are future leaders who can make a difference in their community and beyond.”
Luis Sanchez, a kindergarten teacher at Mayo Elementary School in Compton, said the experience has become a tradition he has witnessed transform students for two decades. “Kids Ocean Day is one of the best experiences we can give our students,” Sanchez said. “I’ve been bringing students for 20 years. This year our curriculum includes a unit about Earth and our natural resources, so this initiative aligns perfectly with it.”
Sanchez said the day carries special meaning for many students experiencing the beach for the first time. “A lot of our students have never been to the beach, much less surrounded by friends in a setting like this. They don’t even really think of this as a beach clean up, it’s a chance for them to play in a beautiful natural setting,” he said.
That impact was visible throughout the beach Thursday as students sifted through sand searching for cigarette butts, plastic fragments, bottle caps, and other debris often overlooked by beachgoers.
For 13-year-old Ella Basel of Alfred B. Nobel Charter Middle School, Kids Ocean Day has become part of her identity an ambassador for the program. “This has been my third year,” Basel said. “I came in kindergarten for the first time and I have loved the ocean ever since.”
The experience inspired Basel to launch a cleanup club at her school and even consider becoming a marine biologist. “We all need to stop polluting,” she said. “We should only leave our footsteps and not litter because that’s not a good thing for our environment. We have to save the planet and make sure marine life stays healthy.”
Teachers say the event creates lasting memories while helping students connect environmental lessons to the real world. “I’ve been bringing students here for over a decade,” said Diana Minard, a teacher at Shenandoah Elementary School. “It’s a chance for kids to be out in nature, to learn, and to experience something beyond the classroom.”
Susan Landa of Magnolia Avenue Elementary in Central Los Angeles said the program’s impact extends beyond environmental education. “It’s not only the environmental aspect,” Landa said. “It’s the experience of being together, seeing so many schools come together, and understanding they are part of something bigger than themselves.”
For many students, the lessons were simple but deeply felt. “We have to clean up our Earth because a lot of people litter,” said 9-year-old Aleida Mondragon. “It’s a good thing to be here today and clean the beach.”
Second grader Daniel Bac Mecaria said the experience reinforced the importance of protecting the planet. “This is the only place we can live with oxygen,” Daniel said. “That’s why we should keep the Earth clean.”
As students gathered later in the day to create the giant “Coast For All” message in the sand, organizers said the image represented more than environmental activism, but access, equity, and belonging. “The coast belongs to everyone – that’s what today is really about,” Klubock said.