Proctor Academy - Ocean Classroom Update

Proctor's Ocean Classroom is now midway through its term at sea! After a recent stop in Fernandin Beach, FL, the crew is about to set sail for open sea during the coming weeks.

Chuck Will covered Ocean Classroom's departure and first stop in Mystic, CT on Chuck's Corner at the following LINK, but we wanted to be sure that you found student blog posts from various port stops on the journey.

At each port, students supplement their classes onboard with visits to local museums and educational facilities.

Ryan provides some tremendous insights into how the trip (as of its first stop in Mystic) had impacted him in THIS post.

Captain Caroline Smith wrote the following post (HERE) at the crew's stop in Sulfolk, VA with the Harvey Gamage anchored in the Chesapeake Bay.

Clark also shared his thoughts in THIS post from Charleston, SC.

The following thoughts from Alli were just posted today prior to the crew's departure from Florida for the open seas.

While hopefully you will take a look at each of these student posts, the common theme remains that Ocean Classroom is a life changing experience for students.

Anecdotes from Ocean Classroom alums speak volumes to the lasting impact of the program, however, capturing student reflections during the term is incredibly insightful for those of us on the mainland.

Safe voyages to the crew and be sure to keep checking back to the Ocean Classroom page HERE for updates throughout the remainder of the term.

The below captions represent Zoli's most recent blog post from Ocean Classroom:

"Accompanied by the wonderful and fabulous Dave Pilla (Proctor's Ocean Classroom director) the students filled their time with horse hunting, seashell finding, and jungle prowling."

"The live oak trees hidden by Spanish moss watched the students as they scampered across the forest floor, some barefoot and some wearing sandals."

"After six miles of exploring the interior landscape, they headed from the trail toward fine sand beaches and the students took the chance to swim and build sand castles."

"The sand squeaked beneath their feet as sand dollars and conch shells were located in the beach sand. Students did their best to cover themselves from the powerful sunrays as they spent six more miles returning by way of beach."

"Twenty-six schooner bums were relieved at the sight of the Harvey Gamage, still sitting pleasantly a couple hundred feet off the waters edge. The hole in the water surrounded by wood was their home for the time being."

"The raked masts rose elegantly from a husky hull and the neat furls slept atop the spars."

"With successful horse hunting, seashell finding and jungle prowling 34 excited and adventurous individuals would depart the next morning south, for a 1200 mile passage to Hispaniola."