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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.

Project U.S.E. Boatbuilding Coordinator Lisa Ludwig and Middle School art teacher Madeleine McCarthy have been administering the project and the 10 seventh-grade boys who are responsible for building the boat, which is a 16-foot canoe. “The boys are learning the use of many tools and the importance of measurement and craftsmanship,” she said. “They also understand the importance of safety in any construction project. The most important thing they will take away is the sense of accomplishment they have when completing a long term project.”

So far, the students have been responsible for learning the parts of the boat, measuring and cutting plywood, making a two part epoxy, gluing and screwing all parts of the boat together, filling screw holes with epoxy and cleaning up after each building session held on Monday afternoons. The builders are also contributing to a blog all about their work and experiences along the way. Visit the blog here.

Recently, the students have sanded and painted the boat to prepare for the launch on May 10 at 9 a.m. at Deal Lake (7th Ave. and Main St. Asbury Park, NJ). Families are welcome to attend on Saturday and support all of the students. “It is exciting to know that other schools are participating in the same project and that we will all have the opportunity to launch together,” added Ms. McCarthy. “I think they will be so proud of themselves when the boats are launched!”

Participating 7th grade students:
Brandon Whiteman
Rohan Sharma
Ryan McCarthy
Ben Kraushaar
Eric Grayson
Blake Epstein
Sathya Edamadaka
Jack Crilly
Paul Cantave
Luke Arnone
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society. 

We envision Ranney School as a nurturing learning community, in which families, faculty, alumni, and all of Ranney’s constituents collaborate to know and value every child, foster individual talents, sustain powerful connections between children and adults, and graduate resilient, globally-minded citizens.