Marinelab Behind the Scenes: Coordinating It All

By: Anne Hill, Coordinator

I have a magnet hanging by my desk that reads: “Being a Coordinator is easy. It’s like riding a bike. Except the bike is on fire. You’re on fire. Everything is on fire.”  I laugh every time I look at it because it’s so true;  some days are easy, but others are a hot mess!  I don’t know how I would stay even remotely organized if it weren’t for my trusty sticky notes and calendar reminders.

Anne and her office mate, Dwayne Johnson

As MarineLab’s Coordinator, I work with every group from their initial inquiry for dates until they arrive on campus (that’s when our Director of Operations and her staff of instructors take over).  This process is spread out anywhere from a couple months to more than a year!  The group leader and I work together to design the ultimate program that meets the needs of their particular group of students.  Most groups find our standard itineraries fit the bill just fine, but there are others who want to build on concepts already being taught, or want to have that classroom lesson on pollution brought into sharp focus with a marine debris field trip and a microplastics lab.  That’s where customization of the itinerary comes into the conversation.  I have personally experienced most but not all (not YET, anyway) of our field trips, labs, and classroom discussions so that I can confidently make suggestions and answer questions.  And if I’m not sure, MarineLab has a super talented team that can get me the answers I need. 

Anne experiences our field programs first-hand during teacher workshop!

After that itinerary is finalized, then come the invoices, contract, e-waiver links, rosters, e-waiver reminders, transportation forms, boat manifests, e-waiver reminders, dorm room assignments, housekeeping & cafeteria schedules, e-waiver reminders, and then finally the clipboard documents the instructors need for arrival day.  All of this multiplied by roughly 175 different attending groups totaling nearly 5,000 students per year.  (It’s no wonder I’m such a stickler about those e-waivers!) 

Many teachers are concerned that they ask me “too many” questions, but I assure each one that not only are they not the only group leader with a lot of questions, but that their questions help keep me employed!  Keep ‘em coming, people!

I also field questions from parents regarding special dietary needs, swimming skills, and even the occasional “Did my child’s school arrive safely today?”  I’m always happy to take these calls because I can remember the first time my own child went on an overnight school field trip.

So how do I juggle the emails, phone calls, program changes, e-waiver follow-ups, and who still owes me rosters and transportation details?  It will probably shock you to know that the answer is NOT coffee – I don’t like the stuff at all!  But I do have 2 big white boards on the wall next to my desk showing me the next 34 groups in chronological order by arrival date with columns telling me what I still need to receive from each.  And a desk covered in sticky notes.  So special thanks go out to Arthur Fry and Spencer Silver for inventing the Post-It.  Gotta give credit where credit is due!