From Classrooms to the Ocean: EU Blue Schools Stories from 2025/2026

The 2025/2026 school year has confirmed what the Network of European Blue Schools (NEBS) community has strongly believed in since it was born: when ocean literacy is grounded in local realities, classrooms become spaces where students develop the blue skills the EU needs. Dive into the following stories to learn how teachers are turning curiosity about the ocean into concrete competencies for the next generation.

In Nicosia (CY), chemistry teacher Cristina Jimenez has included ocean literacy in her everyday teaching at Pascal Private Secondary School for the past five years. The school’s flagship initiative ReBLUE and its various editions are a great example of how a simple idea can grow into a meaningful experience for students.

Wooden boxes installed by students on around 10 beaches across the island invite tourists to “borrow, play and return” plastic beach toys. The goal is to cut single-use plastic consumption and waste through a circular economy approach: by storing toys on each beach, tourists staying in Cyprus for short holiday periods can borrow and reuse them instead of buying their own, and then leaving them behind when their vacation is over. 

The initiative is supported by the municipalities of Ayia Napa, Protaras and Pissouri, which help safeguard the boxes during the peak season (April-November in Cyprus). Students also regularly visit the beaches to check on the installations, gather feedback from tourists, and raise awareness about the impact of single-use plastic on the ocean. Cristina underlines the long-term vision of ReBLUE, with older students passing the project on to younger ones, keeping it alive year after year. 

At Scholen aan Zee, biology teacher Tosca Tamis and her colleague Remco Schaap anchor their teaching activities in the reality of Den Helder, a coastal town surrounded by water on three sides in the Netherlands. Their ocean literacy modules explore how the ocean shapes climate, food, beaches and local jobs in the navy, fisheries and tourism sectors. 

In our discussion, Tosca and Remco reminded us that awareness-raising works best when it starts from students' own habits, especially when it comes to plastic use and freshwater consumption. Conversations about fast-fashion, deliveries and packaging waste are what most often spark students’ interest. 

From there, teachers guide students deeper into ocean currents, the water cycle, pollutants like PFAS and microplastics, leading to the realisation that we are not only living on planet Earth, but also on planet Ocean. Their teaching approach encourages students to investigate, ask questions and imagine possible career pathways linked to the ocean and the blue economy. 

Ocean literacy initiatives in schools equip students with environmental knowledge and practical blue skills, helping them address ocean challenges with a fresh outlook and mindset. These are just two of the many projects developed by EU Blue Schools during the 2025/2026 school year. They champion the idea that blue skills are not only taught, but they are also practised in everyday life. 

What unites Cristina, Tosca and Remco is their membership to the Network of European Blue Schools, which counts 1 293 members in June 2026. They all highlight the value of belonging to a Europe-wide community of practice. NEBS is a space to exchange first-hand teaching methods, share challenges, and reflect on what works in their ocean literacy courses, allowing other teachers to take inspiration and replicate best practices in their own schools. 

You can find out more about NEBS membership here.