Palo Alto might be 1,000 miles away from the nearest coral reef, but that

didn’t stop the seventh-graders at Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School from creating a reef of their own.

Using yarn donated from the community, the creative and eco-friendly students crocheted 500 underwater creatures and plants to educate their peers about the importance of protecting the coral ecosystem. The “reef” is now on display at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles.

The exhibit, “Crocheted Reef and Anemone Garden,” started as a 200-piece project, but the students were so excited about it that their reef grew to 500 figures, including crocheted coral, sea sponges, squid, sea stars, sea jellies and urchins.

“Our corals represent some of the last reefs out in the ocean,” said Devon, one of the coral crafters. “The bleached coral in our exhibit leaves a reminder of what most corals will look like, that the reefs won’t stay colorful and lively forever, unless we take action.”

The exhibit runs through Aug. 24 at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, 520 S. First St., San Jose.