Sullivan’s Island Elementary School has started off its school year strong.
Given the school’s new involvement with Educational Passages, they plan to increase its student’s unique coastal science education. The Educational Passages program, funded through the BOSCH Best Teacher Grant and donations from FRIENDS of SIES, allows for students to build a functional mini boat.
The 1.5-meter boat comes equipped with weather sensors and data tracking so that when it is completed and later launched the students can stay up to date on the boat’s voyage. For the school’s administration, the project is an opportunity to immerse their students in tangible skills, engage in global thinking and enrich their already established coastal science education.
“Here at this school, we are so fortunate to be on the beach, and that we have these opportunities for kids to explore their coastal environments,” said SIES Parent Educator Lisa Marie Ferguson. “Getting students involved in something so closely related to their community is a connection that can transcend elementary years.” “Students learn concepts about ocean geography and how everything is interrelated (through our oceans),” Ferguson continued. “As well as learning the different parts of the boat itself and their different purposes.” As SIES prepared to embark on their boat construction journey, a mini boat built by students at Donald McKay School in East Boston washed ashore on Bull Island. Seeing “a visual representation of what the boat looks like and how the process will work, it has brought the [student’s] excitement to ahead,” said Principal Susan King.
With the boat’s hull acting as a time capsule, finding another school’s boat creates a connection to a different community. “In addition to learning all the science, it opens the conversation” to learning about other cultures,” King added. SIES plans to open Donald McKay School’s time capsule in a ceremony this week. Although only 12 fourth grade students will be selected to command the project’s construction, the whole school will be involved through learning related concepts.
Those selected to begin the boat’s construction will meet twice weekly to complete the vessel before they leave for holiday break.
