Middle School Teams with Area Schools for Boat Launch

Update: On Saturday, May 10, 2014, more than 30 Middle Schoolers from area schools—Ranney School in Tinton Falls, Sisters Academy in Asbury Park and Oak Hill Academy in Lincroft—came together at Deal Lake in Asbury Park to launch the very canoes they have spent the past four months building from scratch. The students, along with their teachers, fellow classmates and families, were proud to see that their boats not only floated, but were able to make several trips out into the lake. In the video clip at right, Lisa Ludwig of Project U.S.E., the organization that managed the collaborative project, thanks the students for their hard work and each student group gives a short presentation on what they enjoyed about building a boat, including how they chose the names of their boats.


Seventh-grade students are learning the value of teamwork and diligence with a new Boat Building project they are participating in associated with Project Collaboration—a multi-year plan to share educational programs, facilities and experiences with the Sisters Academy of New Jersey (Asbury Park) and Oak Hill Academy (Lincroft). The boat building program is one of three collaborative projects Ranney has participated in this year, which also included welcoming Oak Hill and Sisters Academy to RSPA Panther Hall for a performance by More than Music, also known as the “At the Table Group” of At the Table with Dr. King in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, and a master chorale class with Indian Hill School in Holmdel.

The boat building project is run by Project U.S.E., which stands for Urban Suburban Environments. The nonprofit educational organization based in Newark aims to enrich the educational experiences of students in communities throughout New Jersey. They provide acclaimed experiential learning opportunities to more than 7,000 young people and adults each year. The Boat Building Program is a unique initiative that allows middle and high school age students to explore the maritime history of their region and to learn the science and art involved in boat building.

View the video on the right of the students at work building their canoe.

Read the full story here.