On September 28 and 29^th, 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 1930’s film version of Captains Courageous, and the vocabulary of a 19^th 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 foc’s’le. 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