| April 6, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Theresa M. Barbo
(508) 487-3622 x103
ccsmedia@coastalstudies.org
‘Floating Classroom’ Aboard the ‘Spirit of Massachusetts’
Open for Summer Enrollment
‘MassSail’ Sponsored by Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies
(Provincetown, Cape Cod, MA) - The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) has announced two new summer education initiatives - Seafaring Camps and Whale Sail 2005 - aboard the 125' schooner Spirit of Massachusetts, a ‘floating classroom’ featuring experiential academics in marine sciences.
Seafaring Camp and Whale Sail 2005 are part of MassSail, a series of education programs PCCS produces jointly with the Ocean Classroom Foundation. Its mission, to promote public awareness and understanding of Massachusetts' marine environment and maritime heritage, is found nowhere else on Cape Cod.
Seafaring Camp is open to 13 to 16-year-olds and features three, one-week learning adventures, exploring the marine environment and learning the time-honored art of seafaring. Through investigations with shipboard educators, participants will observe whales in their natural habitat, collect plankton, perform oceanography experiments, visit historical sites and museums, and share sea songs and stories.
High school juniors and seniors, and college undergraduates, are eligible for Whale Sail 2005, a two-week course - in which three college credits can be earned when successfully completed. Whale Sail offers a rigorous curriculum in the biology, natural history and conservation of cetaceans in the Gulf of Maine, as well as hands-on cetacean, environmental and oceanographic data collection and time-honored seafaring skills, including navigation.
Seafaring Camp
Designed and taught by experienced educators, twenty-two slots are open for each session. Seafaring Camp is an academic adventure for students to explore the marine environment of coastal Massachusetts, learning about the sea's rich diversity of life, history and lore. Sailing trips to the Gerry E. Studds/Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary will find students closely observing humpback and finback whales in their summer feeding grounds. The Spirit will sail to the Elizabeth Islands in Vineyard Sound, Historic-era ports of Gloucester and New Bedford, and to the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies.
Session 1 July 19, Boston - July 25, Boston
Session 2 July 28, Boston - August 3, Boston
Session 3 August 6, Boston - August 12, Boston
The cost of $900 per student includes all meals, necessary equipment and education materials. For information about registration, contact the OCF at mail@oceanclassroom.org, or by phone at 1-800-724-7245.
** Whale Sail 2005
Designed and taught by experienced educators for high school juniors and seniors and college undergraduates, WhaleSail is a two-week expedition in to the maritime wilderness to study humpback, finback, minke and right whales in their natural habitat. All students are full participants in the voyage, standing watch and learning the arts and skills of traditional seafaring aboard this magnificent tall ship. Three college credits are available through Cape Cod Community College to students who successfully complete the course.
Two sessions are available:
Session 1 June 17 - June 30
Session 2 July 3 - July 16 The two week course costs $2,500, and includes all instruction, college credit, room and board and education materials. Each trip begins and ends in Boston. For information about registration, contact the OCF at mail@oceanclassroom.org, or by phone at 1-800-724-7245.
** Through the generosity of local funders, a limited number of scholarships are available to local students and teachers. Securing additional scholarship monies is an ongoing priority at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, so every student on Cape Cod who wants to learn about marine sciences aboard the Spirit will get a chance for experiential education. [Contact Joanne Jarzobski, PCCS Marine Education Coordinator, at solution@coastalstudies.org or 508-487-3622 x107, for information about scholarships.]
Constructed in 1984 at the Charlestown Navy Shipyard, The Spirit of Massachusetts is a 125' long schooner modeled after the late 19th century fishing schooner, the Fredonia, designed by Edward Burgess, which sailed to the North Atlantic fishing grounds for cod. The Spirit is authentic in rig and construction though she carries modern navigation and safety equipment. The vessel is fully inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard and the American Bureau of Shipping as a Sailing School Vessel, certified for international ocean voyages. The Spirit carries a crew complement of nine, with twenty-two berths available for overnight trips including Seafaring Camp and Whale Sail 2005.
The award-winning Ocean Classroom Foundation is a non-profit educational organization that provides programs of sea education and adventure for the youth of America. To learn more, visit OCF at www.oceanclassroom.org.
The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies is a non-profit organization dedicated to research, education and conservation of the marine and coastal environments. The Center is internationally-renown for its whale research and rescue missions, and is the leading authority in science-based resource management policies in Massachusetts.
# # # Press: Contact Theresa M. Barbo, PCCS Director of Communications, (508) 487-3622 x103; ccsmedia@coastalstudies.org
Editors: Digital images of The Spirit of Massachusetts are available by email, or click below to download archived images of the vessel.
 Click here for a WinZip archive of images
 Click here for a StuffIt archive of images
Educators: Contact Joanne M. Jarzobski, PCCS Marine Education Coordinator, for additional information, at solution@coastalstudies.org, or by phone at: (508) 487-3622 x107
For more information about the Ocean Classroom Foundation, visit OCF on the web at www.oceanclassroom.org Reach Executive Director Bert Rogers by email at mail@oceanclassroom.org, or by phone at 1-800-724-7245.
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