Charleston

Charleston

Kayden, the acting Ocean Classroom Director from Proctor Academy, met us in Charleston and spent four days with us. It was great to have Kayden join us for this time!

We also received our mail drop. Thank you to everyone who sent letters and mail.

The Scavenger Hunt in Charleston took students around this historic city. Students searched for things such as landmarks, sweet tea, ghost stories, and citadel cadets. It was the highlight of Charleston for many students.

Another highlight was our visit to the South Carolina Aquarium. In addition to studying the marine life off the local coast, we visited the Sea Turtle Rescue Hospital. It is the only kind of facility like this in the United States. We saw loggerhead and green turtles face to face. The hospital nurses injured turtles back to health and has released over eighty back into the wild so far. Most of the injuries are caused by boating accidents. One turtle in the hospital had its skull cut in half by a propeller. The skilled veterinarians at the hospital were able to repair it and the young turtle is well on its way to being re-released. We all fell in love with sea turtles!

We spent a rainy afternoon exploring Fort Sumter, where the first battle of the civil war occurred. It only rained, however, when we were indoors! Students learned about naval war strategies during the Civil War.

Students also worked on their midterm exams in Charleston. It’s hard to believe, but the Academic program is almost half way finished.

We will miss this friendly southern city. Thank you Charleston for all your hospitality.

The following is student Sam Brown's account of the Scavenger Hunt:

While the Westward was docked snuggly at Charleston Maritime Canter, students were given an opportunity to see the city of Charleston in a perfect way; a scavenger hunt. Paired in groups of three and given a lengthy checklist, Proctor students swarmed the city armed with digital cameras and sunscreen. Charleston has a unique permanent open air market that run several blocks long and had hundreds of local vendors, selling everything from civil war musket shells to hand made sweetgrass baskets. Charleston is a city with many superstitions, including an operating fire station occupied by two ghosts. One group of students got to see a bed in the fire station in which the ghost was sighted. Charleston’s junk food was also quite different that what you might find at Jakes in Andover. Boiled peanuts and sweet tea are local favorites. Charleston’s famous “rainbow row” is a cobblestone city block with three story tenements of every color of the rainbow. After two hours of exploration, students rushed back to Westward to tally points. Everyone has a great time and enjoyed eating out on the town later that week. The Proctor students had a great time in Charleston and are looking forward to the Caribbean.

Sam Brown on Bow Watch: