Science and Service in Carpinteria

By Michelle Wu '27

The salted breeze, the damp sand, and the low, rhythmic rumble of waves hitting the shore altogether make the Carpinteria City Beach a popular weekend destination for students. Indeed, the beach offers much joy to the steady pace of Cate life, whether through providing a recreational space oa r location for class events. However, there is more that Cate can offer in return to the greater Carpinteria community and the land that nurtures it – inquiry-driven science and 

Marine Biology teacher Ms. Beth Caylor expresses interest in further embracing Cate’s motto of Servons by combining science and service at the Carpinteria Beach. “A big, ambitious goal I’ve got,” she shares, “is to have people who are interested but are outside the Marine Ecology elective participate in data collection.” According to Ms. Caylor, since the winter of 2025, her Marine Ecology elective has been partnering with LiMPETS (Long-term Impacts of Protecting Ecosystems and Tidal Lands), an organization that provides high school students the opportunity to collect data on biodiversity and the impacts of sea-level rise. She explains that every month, students would identify and count the coverage of species at a designated section of the Jelly Bowl. This area stretches a few feet out from the wet sand to dry sand, with species including invertebrates like the mole crab and isopods that live in the sand. If Cate consistently sends students to collect data, Cate can build its own Carpinteria-specific database over time. In fact, Ms. Caylor notes that LiMPETS provides a huge database from other coastal cities in California, but “there is hardly anything in Carpinteria.” 

Though this opportunity is currently only open to seniors in the winter Marine Ecology elective, Ms. Caylor hopes to open data collection to anyone in the Cate community who is interested in participating. The training process for LiMPETS parallels that of the STREAM Team, a former water sample collection club, and involves learning about and identifying certain species. If possible, Ms. Caylor underlines that this would require much student engagement and commitment. 

Despite room for improvement, Cate has initiated community engagement efforts. For instance, Ms. Caylor’s Marine Ecology class took on the role of beach tour guides to young kids of Carpinteria. Under Mr. Holmes and the Public Service Night heads’ organization, there have also been increasing Saturday PSN opportunities. Students Alex Choi ‘26 and Jacob Zhao ‘27 are taking the lead on organizing beach clean-ups through their club. Ms. Caylor’s vision for a potential partnership with LiMPETS provides everyone a chance to reflect upon the pre-established connections between Cate and the Carpinteria community. Moreover, it offers an opportunity to rethink the school’s agency and responsibility in serving others and addressing climate change. Moving forward, such a question of responsibility will prove itself more and more relevant. Leveraging coastal resources in a manner that best aligns with Cate’s values of commitment, service, and inquiry is undoubtedly a solid starting point.