MCAA becomes first elementary in Georgia to earn Ocean Guardianship Distinction

Marietta, GA – The Marietta Center for Advanced Academics (MCAA) made history on Tuesday, September 9, as the first elementary school in Georgia to receive the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Guardianship School Distinction. The honor, presented by the Georgia Aquarium, was marked with a banner presentation to students.

The award recognizes schools that demonstrate a sustained commitment to ocean protection through education, conservation, and community action. This distinction reflects years of work in student-led recycling, energy conservation, water-quality monitoring, and science-based lessons that embed environmental stewardship into daily learning. Last year, students diverted nearly 200 pounds of food waste from landfills, picked up 28 pounds of trash from around the school community, distributed 320 reusable bags, planted 64 square meters of native plants, and installed 350 energy-saving light bulbs. 

“MCAA students and staff have embraced the challenge of making sustainability a way of life,” said Principal Heather Woods. “We’re proud not only of their hard work, but also their understanding that small actions in classrooms and homes can ripple outward to make a global impact. By doing their part now, they’re ensuring the world around them will be better than they found it.”

The award caps a standout year for MCAA. The school was recently ranked #1 in Georgia out of 1,240 elementary schools for both the percentage of third-grade students reading at or above grade level and the percentage of students scoring at the Proficient and Distinguished levels in Math and English Language Arts.

Together, the Ocean Guardianship recognition and academic achievement highlight MCAA’s leadership and students' excellence in the classroom, while modeling what it means to be responsible stewards of the world they will inherit tomorrow. 

Check out the video below from WSBTV’s live coverage of MCAA's celebration.