Twenty-two Proctor Academy students have completed their first of nine weeks at sea aboard the World Ocean School's Schooner Roseway as a part of Proctor's Ocean Classroom program. After a stop at Woods Hole, Massachusetts and a quick sail to New Bedford, Massachusetts to learn about maritime history and the whaling industry, the crew set sail Friday morning for Norfolk, Virginia. Read student journal entries and check out photos from the journey thus far below!
What is it that drives us to the ocean, to shorelines, out on the water where the blues turn to grey, the ripples build to waves, the zephyrs strengthen into gales? We are a landlocked school, tucked up next to rock-ribbed granite of New Hampshire. Our proximity is to rivers and lakes, to ski mountains and biking trails. And yet, as today’s launching of Ocean Classroom reminds us, we are drawn to the ocean, to harbors, waterfronts, lighthouses and passages that bear us outward. Today nearly two dozen students will go to Boston and find the Roseway, Captain Flansberg, a World Ocean School crew, and two Proctor educators. They will walk the decks with their duffels over their shoulders to ease down gangways and find assigned berths below. They are beginning their term at sea. That beckoning to adventure and discovery, that call to the sea, is in us all.
San Juan, Puerto Rico… November 19th… The end of Ocean Classroom Voyage 2016… As these students leave Roseway and fly back to their families, there is a range of emotions. There is incredible happiness in reconnecting with their parents, siblings and friends. There is also an element of sadness in leaving the ship that has been their home for the past nine weeks. There is a feeling of accomplishment; an inner knowledge that each one of them has done something special.
After an historic stop in Havana, Proctor's Ocean Classroom program is on its way to St. Croix and the final leg of its nine week journey. With just two weeks remaining in the voyage, students now have full responsibility for day-to-day operations aboard the schooner Roseway. Enjoy student reflections in this week's blog!
The image of Roseway sailing into Havana Harbor, with Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta to starboard and Castilo De Los Tres Reyes Del Morro to port was a truly powerful moment for Proctor Academy and our Ocean Classroom Program. For the first time in over 57 years, an authentic US Tall Ship sailed into Havana Harbor, and our students were able to be a part of this historic day. While there has been much press around the event, I was immediately reminded that the human-side of this story is far more powerful than the political-side, and in the end, it is the human-side that matters most for our students and their educational journey.
Proctor Academy's Ocean Classroom aboard Roseway has arrived in Cumberland Island, Georgia. Daily journey reflections can be viewed on the World Ocean School's website. This entry by Raizel '17 provided a beautiful window into the group's remarkable journey at sea. Enjoy!
Proctor Academy's Ocean Classroom program aboard World Ocean School's Roseway is now two weeks into their adventure down the eastern seaboard. As Hurricane Matthew makes landfall in Florida, Ocean Classroom waits out the storm in Baltimore where they will be engaging in community service projects with local school groups. Enjoy this update from Roseway as students reflect on the sail from Mystic to Baltimore!
