In the ten years that this school has been sending kids from Boston to San Juan on a 130-foot schooner, Ocean Classroom has become the program of choice for Proctor students. So ebullient are returnees about their life-transforming experiences aboard the Harvey Gamage that demand for the 23 spaces aboard ship is extreme. Initial sign-ups result in wait lists, and faculty are called upon to vouch for students' maturity, intellectual passion and personal integrity. At last night's dessert reception at Elbow Pond, advisors of these lucky student leaders could feel the elevated sense of responsibility and determination shared by the group:
Their creativity, too, was easy to witness and appreciate. Here, three of our intrepid sailors practice a sport of their own invention known locally as The Stick Game. Contestants spin in tight circles while balancing birch limbs on their foreheads....
...and then race around the nearest minibus staggered by dizziness. A select group of high-achieving teens has little trouble with personal expression:
Yes, life aboard that ship promises to be a very special experience.
