High School Semester-at-Sea program - Apply now!
by Barby MacGowan on 29 Apr 2015
SSV Oliver Hazard Perry will be the platform for a High School Semester-at-Sea program presented by Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island in partnership with Ocean Classroom over Winter/Spring 2016. Onne van der Wal/OHPRI
A limited number of spaces are available for SSV Oliver Hazard Perry’s High School Semester-at-Sea program scheduled for the Winter and Spring of 2016. This voyage will be conducted by Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island (OHPRI) in partnership with Ocean Classroom, the non-profit organization based in Portland, Maine that has a 20-year tradition of offering transformative voyages under sail.
Participating students can receive full academic credit for this new 14-week experiential learning program that starts in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands on February 3rd, 2016 and concludes on May 14th in Portland.
While students are aboard the Perry they will participate in all aspects of the ship’s operations as well as follow a specially tailored academic curriculum. Courses taught include marine science, maritime literature, maritime history, applied mathematics and navigation (including some trigonometry), and seamanship skills.
SSV Oliver Hazard Perry is uniquely outfitted for teaching invaluable lessons both above decks and below. Equipped with classroom space, a well-stocked library and full science laboratory, the ship allows faculty and students to learn with the same equipment and facilities as they would use in modern land-based schools.
During the program, the ship will make stops at a number of islands and ports, including St. Eustatius; Bequia; Trinidad; Puerto Rico; Cumberland Island, Georgia; Charleston, S.C.; Norfolk, Virginia; New York City; Newport, R.I.; and Bar Harbor, Maine. (Itineraries are subject to change.) On adventures ashore, students will explore local historical sites, natural attractions and museums.
There are tentative plans for a service project at Cumberland Island and a beach cookout and evening kayak expedition to study bioluminescence in Vieques (Puerto Rico). In New York, plans are for students to visit the Museum of Natural History, South Street Seaport and the Fulton Fish Market.
SSV Oliver Hazard Perry is the nation’s newest and largest sail training and educational vessel. At 200 feet in length, her 130-foot-tall rig consists of three masts and 20 sails. Below decks, she offers accommodations for 49 people on ocean voyages, a climate-controlled environment, a modern galley, and a full array of electronic navigation and communication gear. As a new vessel, she has been built under the supervision of the U.S. Coast Guard and the American Bureau of Shipping to ensure that she meets, if not exceeds, all safety regulations for worldwide operations.
To learn more about this program and how to apply for one of the limited spaces available, contact OHPRI Executive Director Jess Wurzbacher at 401-841-0080, info@ohpri.org or Ocean Classroom’s Tara Treichel at +1 207-370-2287, admissions@oceanclassroom.org. To apply online click here.
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