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Class Afloat is pleased to announce grade 12 student Leah Macnamara has been selected to receive the prestigious
2009 Millennium Local Excellence Award valued at $4500.00. Chosen from almost 10,000 applicants in recognition for her
community service, leadership, interest in innovation and academic achievement, Leah is one of only 1,125 students from
across Canada receiving an entrance award from the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation.
Leah joined Class Afloat from Banff, Alberta, Canada to complete her senior year of high school. Leah will attend Queen's
University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada in September to pursue a degree in Life Sciences. She hopes to join the varsity
basketball team after taking a break from the court to sail aboard the S/V Concordia this past year.
Hoping to become involved in something meaningful while completing her high school studies, Leah was drawn to the
distinctive opportunity Class Afloat offers young people to experience cultures outside of North America and to deepen
their awareness of important global issues. Leah’s older brother, Robert, participated in Class Afloat in 2004-2005 and
Leah was inspired by the stories, photographs and strong friendships which developed after his experience aboard. Looking
back on how nervous she felt during her admission interview, and how thrilled she was to be accepted to Class Afloat,
Leah can’t imagine choosing any other way to complete high school!
When asked to express which aspect of her year she will remember most, Leah states, "the people. You come to Class Afloat
to travel but soon realize that the community of people is more important. I looked forward to long sails as this part of
the experience is so unique; it is the most special time. I even looked forward to the hard work because I was doing it
with my team, my family - my crew". Leah found getting used to the routines and expectations of life on a tall ship,
while completing her academic studies, the most challenging part of the journey together with all the different
personalities living together on board or in the residence in Lunenburg. "It's hard", Leah states, "but that’s the
real growing part, what makes it interesting. It's part of the experience".
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This semester kept the grade 12 class extremely busy with many exciting and engaging activities. All of their senses
were kept active and on many occasions they were asked to try new things in an effort to experience the world from a
slightly different perspective.
We had them silver smith and make their own jewellery, they went kayaking and hiking, and they attended a global youth conference
to learn about climate change and how to get involved on a personal, community and global level. They showed us their artistic
talent during a t-shirt making workshop and heard environmentalists speak at Cinema Politica, a night of documentary and discussion.
They stayed active by running track or bike riding, playing tennis, volleyball or swimming. They attended farmers markets and
learned about local industries, visited Halifax and toured university campuses; they were exposed to global issues and heard the
Honorable General Romeo Dallaire speak about the plight of child soldiers. Countless Frisbee games and ethics meetings kept their
bodies and brains active and continually challenged. They attended workshops on creativity and on meditation, where they learned
to let loose and remain still.
Together we have laughed through all of these amazing opportunities and stretched our minds to encompass new experiences and
perspectives about the ways in which to view the world. As this is being written, students are packing for our end of year camping
trip where we will hike, bike, and kayak near Kejimkujik Provincial Park. The evenings will be filled with games and laughter and
the days will determine the best athletic team as we set to battle in volleyball, basketball and frisbee tournaments.
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Port Profile:
On May 14, 2009 the S.V. Concordia arrived in Natal, Brazil following its second Atlantic crossing this semester. While in
Brazil the students had the unique opportunity to spend several days with a host family. The students were treated to delicious
meals, comfortable beds, and a local's perspective of the city. Our students spent a day at a local high school speaking to
English language students about the experience of sailing a tall ship. On their free days the students travelled to the neighboring
beach town of Puenta Negra. There they spent several days relaxing on the beach, surfing, dining on local foods, and meeting
local residents. A definite highlight of the port was the five-hour dune buggy tour that took us to multiple scenic vistas,
across miles of desert and dunes, along beaches, through small villages, across a lake, and to an amazing zipline.
The local hospitality, coupled with the exciting port programming and superb weather, made Natal a favorite destination for a
number of the students.
Highlights from life at sea:
Two days before reaching Bermuda we experienced exceedingly flat seas. This was bad news in terms of getting us to Bermuda on time,
but great news for those hopeful for a swim call! Swim calls occur on those very infrequent days when there is just a faint ripple
on the ocean and water temperatures are inviting. This was a perfect day to jump from the ship into the open ocean below. The students
enjoyed the water for an hour before returning to their duties on the ship. The cool saltwater dip lifted everyone's spirits and
energized the group for the remainder of the day.
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Port Profile:
Our port stay in St Malo, France was packed with activities! We spent a day visiting the Normandy area including Juno, Utah,
Omaha beaches, the American cemetery etc. Being there three days before the 65th anniversary of D-day was especially exciting
as a lot of preparations were happening for the event. The next day we visited Mont St Michel, a 700-year-old stone Abbey built
on an island, and the 3rd day we toured the 500-year-old medieval city of Dinan.
St Malo itself is quite something - a very old walled city complete with little shops, patisseries, creperies, and boulangeries!
Following these 3 days of port programs about 20 of our crew took the train to explore Paris and all it has to offer. We all left
loving France and planning to come back someday and explore more!
Highlights from life at sea:
On the sail to St Malo the whole crew participated in a murder mystery 'Masquerade Ball at Abbey Manor' on the stern! The event
was complete with costumes and elaborate masks everyone literally spent hours making out of paper mache and painting. We all
showed up in character and spent the evening dropping clues, eluding suspicion and figuring out who the murderer might be. Several
students had prepared incredible appetizers which were served throughout the evening and finally after a couple hours, the murderer
was revealed! I imagine it would have been quite a sight if a ship had passed us and seen 34 people in costumes and masks
socializing on the stern of the Chopin way out at sea!
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We are pleased to report that for the upcoming 2009-2010 academic year we have already reached capacity. We
are very excited about having a full community on board the Concordia next year along with our returning
faculty members. We have an active wait list started in case positions become available and encourage you
to apply to be considered. We have already started accepting applications for 2010-11 and have a few students
enrolled. If you are interested in joining Class Afloat, we recommend that you submit your application early
to avoid disappointment.
We would also like to recognize the following recipients of Class Afloat Achievement Awards and for their
contributions to the Class Afloat community over the past year.
The Award for Academic Excellence
Brian Robertson (Montreal, QC)
The Governor General's Bronze Medal
Ricarda Haeger (Dusseldorf, Germany)
The Citizenship Award
Jocelyn Wolfe (Calgary, AB)
The Mayor's Medal
Lauren Harrison (Rockwood, ON)
Seamanship Award
Maximilian Bonmann (Essen, Germany)
The Mary Biggs Head Boy & Head Girl Honour
Patrick Holland & Chiara Nonni for 2009-2010 (Vancouver, BC)
The Founder's Award for Global Citizenship
Jennifer Bhatla (Calgary, AB)
The Derek Zavitz Memorial Award
Daniela Ramirez Aguilar (Leon, Mexico)
Please contact Craig Kelley at ckelley@classafloat.com for more information.
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Going Global
The Class Afloat community has been actively involved in many of the Global Education Association youth programs this semester,
demonstrating that although their Atlantic voyage came to an end, their engagement in world issues did not.
The purpose of the GroundWorks project is to create a community garden that will promote organic gardening, contribute to community
development, foster positive social interaction and increase environmental awareness, particularly in youth. This semester the Class
Afloat students were involved in the spring garden workshops as well as the construction of the newest addition to the site; the
potato and pumpkin garden plot.
The Class Afloat Students have also been particularly active in the Youth Action Projects that are working groups focused on
local issues. These projects aim to empower youth to make positive contributions to the local and global community. This spring,
the youth projects included a plastic water bottle awareness and policy change project called 'Drop the Habit' as well as an
international partnership project called 'School in a Box'. 'Drop the Habit' has been successful in presenting not only their
concerns and suggestions to the local town council but has also discussed the harmful effects of plastic water bottles with
school-aged children and health care professionals. The 'School in the Box' project, has been working to raise funds for the
cost of purchasing a shipping container as well as the school supplies and building materials required to support eight schools
in the central American country of Belize.
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From Sea to Snow to Desert
Michele Discepola was a Class Afloat student from August 1995 to December 1995 and again from January 1998 until August 1998.
During his first trip, he traveled from Louisbourg, Nova Scotia to Durban, South Africa where he completed his first semester
of CEGEP and on his second trip he traveled from Kingston, Jamaica to Dublin, Ireland, where he completed his final semester
of CEGEP.
After Class Afloat, Michele went on to attend Sherbrooke University and graduated in April 2003 with a Bachelor of Civil Law.
He then went on to attend the University of Toronto where he graduated with a joint JD/MBA degree. Upon graduating, he worked
as a lawyer in Toronto for 2 years before deciding to move to the United Arab Emirates to work as a lawyer in Abu Dhabi, where
he felt he would have better opportunities to travel to, and experience the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent and Africa.
Michele has enjoyed his initial 9 months in Abu Dhabi where he is surrounded by people from all over the map, and where he is
able to enjoy the Arabian sea on the weekends. Recently, he was seconded to work in Rwanda for a month with Lawyers Without
Borders on a project to educate woman in Nyamata on their legal rights to own land. Michele is also helping to market Class
Afloat to potential students in the Middle East.
Over the past 10 years, Michele has continued to be interested in sailing and has attended local boat shows where he is known
as "Boat Show Mick", sailed in Toronto at a local sailing club and enjoyed his experience as a crew onboard the sailing vessel
Lion New Zealand across the Tasman Sea, a yacht skippered by Peter Blake for his entry in the 1985/86 Whitbread Round the World
Yacht Race. Michele’s Class Afloat experience has provided him with a great sense of appreciation for all he has been able to
see and experience. His fondest memories of Concordia are the simple joys of life on a ship, the lack of drama, the pleasures
of a Neil Young song and good company.
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Bruce Middleton joined Class Afloat as Shipboard Director aboard the S/V Concordia in January 2008 and continued in this leadership role aboard the S/Y
Fryderyck Chopin for the 2008-2009 academic year. Having worked with both high school and university students Bruce brings an excellent perspective to
program development and will move to a land-based position in August 2009 as Class Afloat's Director of Operations.
When asked what he enjoys most about being involved with Class Afloat, what values and attitudes he feels students learn through their participation in
our program, what growth he has witnessed in his students over the past year and how he himself has changed as a result of this extraordinary experience,
Bruce had the following comments to share:
The draw for me to Class Afloat has always been the opportunity to be part of an experiential learning and personal growth/group development program
taking place at sea on a tall ship. My focus has always been wilderness-based programs with generally the same objectives and outcomes, so changing
to a new mode of travel and program delivery on a broader scale is appealing.
Students have tremendous learning opportunities with Class Afloat. Target outcomes for all students include: developing a stronger self-awareness and
why that is important, how to handle themselves when their limits are tested, that education is not limited to books and a classroom and that they can
have a real impact on their world, how to put the needs of the community before their own and how their actions have significant consequences, how to
work hard, solve conflicts and genuinely care for one another. Many changes that I see in students are intangibles such as confidence and assertiveness,
a growing knowledge of the world, a better appreciation for other cultures and countries, and communication skills, compassion and accountability.
My work with Class Afloat has provided me with a broader appreciation for the world outside of North America as well as a significant amount of time for
self reflection on what is important in my life, my limits, areas to improve upon and goals for the future. Being immersed for 10 months in an experience
as intense as this has reaffirmed my belief in the power of longer-term residential experiential education programs. Educators often read the research,
or hear of these experiences anecdotally, but to see and live it has been a great opportunity.
One piece of advice I will give my students as they move from Class Afloat to their next great adventure – continue taking time to reflect and process
everything that you have seen and learned during this year about the world and yourself. It is powerful stuff and will serve you well for the rest of
your life. Keep in touch with Class Afloat and your crew and whenever you’re in a port, look for the Chopin – she is bound to meet up with you again
sometime.
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Having enough of life at boarding school in Germany I was sure that I wanted to do something different in grade 11. Once I
heard about Class Afloat I knew that this was exactly what I had been looking for.
After I was accepted, feelings came into my head that I had never thought about. Living on a ship? Speaking English for a
full year? Hanging out with the same 25-30 people every day? Is this really what I wanted? It turned out to be the best thing
that even happened to me.
After living through an amazing year of new impressions, meeting new people, seeing new places and learning a lot about myself
I made the decision, listening more to my brain than to my heart, to go back to boarding school in Germany to finish high
school. But I found it difficult to reintegrate into my old life, my old group of unchanged friends, and so I decided to go
back to my Class Afloat family for 12th grade. I finally listened to what my heart told me and it was the best decision I
could have made.
Within a week or two the crew had let me become part of them and it felt like I had always been there. Getting to go back to
the paradise island, Fernando da Noronha, off the coast of Brazil was another bonus. The Class Afloat community is something
very unique; living with people with whom you have the most trusting relationships, that have helped change you in so many ways.
I will be going to McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada next year. It is going to be another great adventure and
wherever I go I know I will find a group of Class Afloat alumni that went through the same amazing experience. I am so proud
that I can count myself as part of the bigger Class Afloat family.
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