OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) - 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Although traces of the storm remain along the Coast, many areas showcase the resilience of Mississippians in the face of destruction.

One coastal school is showing that recovery is possible—no matter how long it takes.

The University of Southern Mississippi’s Marine Education Center and Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) provides students with hands-on learning experiences beyond the traditional classroom.

Today, this approach is a choice, but in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it was a necessity because the storm destroyed the educational hub.

“We were teaching outside and out of temporary buildings. We learned a lot about how to teach outside,” said Jessie Kastler, the USM Marine Education Ce

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