MBS 6th Graders Zoom with Students from Ireland

On Wednesday, May 3, MBS 6^th Graders continued their conversation with their peers from the Barryroe National School in Ireland with an early morning Zoom call. The connection was made possible after last year’s MBS 6th Grade sailboat was recovered off the rocky shores of County Cork in July and was taken to the nearby school.

The MBS students held an initial Zoom call with the Barryroe students last October. Afterwards, students were paired up and began writing letters to each other, comparing notes on hobbies, sports, food, school, and their daily life. 

During this week’s Zoom call, students from both schools discussed their progress with launching their next sailboat. The MBS students have been refurbishing the very first boat that the School launched — The Crimson Tide. Students discussed the significance of the boat’s sail and hull design and listed some of the items they plan to include in its cargo container — a signed T-shirt, bracelets, candy, and sand from the Jersey Shore. The Irish students will also include items in their boat that are meaningful to them, including a horse shoe, shells, and a signed soccer jersey.

Morristown Beard School 6th Graders have launched a 5-foot, unmanned sailboat into the Atlantic for the past 11 years as part of the Educational Passages program. A significant aspect of the project hinges on the hope that students will connect with their peers across the globe when the boat reaches a foreign shore.

This year’s MBS 6^th Grade class is hoping that its sailboat will land in Norway, Sweden, or even reach the Mediterranean Sea. The Irish students are hoping for their boat to land in either Cuba or Morocco.

MBS geography teacher Lisa Swanson said she expects The Crimson Tide to be launched from a cargo ship at the end of the month. Stay tuned!