St. Croix's Tall Ship Roseway
By Abby Kidder
While Roseway was built in MA in 1925 and still spends half of her year plying the waters of Boston and New England, her transom boasts "St. Croix USVI" as her official homeport and she's now into her third year on the island. This 260-ton, 137-foot national historic landmark schooner may be 84 years old but she's more active than ever!
Roseway's purpose in being here is serving St. Croix's youth and is the main educational platform for the World Ocean School, a non profit organization (501(c)(3) based in Boston and St. Croix. 7th grade students, from all public junior high schools, participate in a program launched last year by Governor DeJongh and the World Ocean School. The program serves 25 students per session for 5 consecutive school days. Students are able to apply math, science, history, and language arts to activities on board such as navigation, theory of sail, oceanography, teambuilding, poetry of the sea, speed/ distance tests, Caribbean history, reef ecology, nautical terminology, and maritime careers exposing them to a broadened perspective of themselves and their island. After the 7th grade program , 8th grade students can then participate in an overnight Roseway expedition to St. John. Finally, at high school level, they are eligible for our Summer Ambassador Program in Boston.
World Ocean School operates all its programs through grants, corporate sponsors, and individual donations. In January, World Ocean School hosted its second-annual fundraiser at the St. Croix Yacht Club, The Pirates' Ball, raising $20,000. World Ocean School and Roseway have recently established an endowment fund and is seeking donors to help with the launch securing student programs into the future.
We are committed to providing challenging educational programs for youth and adults around the world by fostering an appreciation for, and obligation to, community and relationships; developing a deep commitment to ethical values; and cultivating an expanded world view. For more information, visit www.worldoceanschool.org or call 626-7877.
