Westport High sails again On September 28 and 29th, the
freshman of Westport High - a large class of 143
students - sailed as two groups aboard the
Ernestina. This is the fourth consecutive year
science teacher Mary Anne McQuillan, long-time
Ernestina volunteer, has led her "freshmen
team" of Westport teachers and students.
Their integrated course unit features the history
of Ernestina, weather forecasting, the
mathematics of simple machines, a viewing of the
1930s film version of Captains Courageous,
and the vocabulary of a 19th century
schooner.
Both groups of students set
sail from State Pier in New Bedford for a 4-hour
trip into Buzzards Bay. After raising sail (fore
and jumbo) they divided into 6 learning groups,
rotating through six learning stations on deck
and in the focsle. The Ernestina crew
lead sessions on navigation, weather, ship
history, steering and guiding the ship, simple
machines, and aquatic life.
After the sails, the students
wrote reflective essays on their experience
aboard and its similarity to the initial weeks of
their life "voyage" as freshman high
school students. For most, both represent
stepping into the unknown, meeting challenges,
and learning from the new environment and
experience.
Captain: Sophie
Morse
Program Coordinators: Crista Mellican, Polly
Zajac
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