Staff photo / Bob Coupland Trenton Williams, 10, a fifth grader at Newton Falls has attended a shark camp two years in a row to learn about his favorite underwater creature.

NEWTON FALLS — For two years in a row, Trenton Williams, 10, a fifth grader, has attended a shark camp to learn about his favorite underwater creature.

In 2023, Williams went to the first camp in Chatham, Massachusetts, hosted by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. Trenton’s father Dan said he remembers seeing the camp online so he and his wife, Kaylan, registered Trenton and later learned he was among 20 students nationwide to be accepted to the camp for summer 2023.

“They wanted us to learn more and more about sharks so they kept engaging us more,” Trenton said.

He said much of the learning was about how the great white sharks live and contribute to the world’s ecosystem. He said the camp, which was for five days, offered a lot of hands-on activities, including dissecting a spiny dogfish shark.

He said he also learned how to measure sharks, and about fossils and teeth, including how to tell what kind of shark a tooth came from.

Dan Wiliams said the family stayed in a hotel and dropped Trenton off at the camp each morning.

“Every day, we did something new, but it was always learning about sharks,” Trenton said.

He returned this past summer for a new camp at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington, North Carolina, hosted by Marine Quest

The camp had students ages 10 and 11.

Marine Quest offers youth different programs, with Trenton completing the Shark Quest program. Other programs were on sea turtles and scuba diving.

Dan Wiliams said for Trenton to attend the second camp, he had to answer questions and submit an essay.

“This one was more hands on and we got to go in the water. We were inside a building where marine biologists work. We dissected another shark. They wanted us to learn the body parts of the shark. The marine biologists we met told us about their jobs and what they do,” Trenton said.

During this week-long program, Trenton learned from marine biologists, explored the coastal waterways and participated in various activities. He said the second year allowed for more activities compared to the first year.

“I have always been interested in sharks since I was 4,” he said.

He said he would like a career working with sharks when he becomes an adult.

Dan Williams said he and his wife were surprised how much Trenton wanted to work with sharks and other marine life starting when he was in elementary school.

“I don’t know too many kids this young of age who are this strong about working with sharks when they are done with school,” Dan said.

Trenton has more than 40 shark books at home and is always willing to share the knowledge he gains about sharks with anyone who will listen.

“I want to focus on marine life, but my favorite animals are sharks. I watch some shows about marine biology but I read a lot of books about marine biology,” he said.

The family said Trenton has been looking at a camp in a few years set in Hawaii.

“There are camps in Hawaii and the Florida Keys that he would like to go to. We are looking at which one would be a good next step for him. Each year we look for camps that are more advanced,” Dan Williams said, noting Trenton was invited back to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

Dan said the family is helping him look for other oceanographic facilities to help broaden his knowledge of sharks and the marine ecosystem.