Photo courtesy of the Renton School District

Photo courtesy of the Renton School District

Ahoy, Hazen!: Renton students take nautical voyage on the Schooner Adventuress

Students were able to get hands-on experience and practice STEM skills while sailing the boat.

Recently, 22 Hazen High School students from Renton got hands-on experience sailing a schooner during a four-night nautical trip around the San Juan Islands.

Led by Hazen science teachers Jennifer Harold and Todd Pollard, the students were given an expedited course in physics, engineering, biology, ecology, and navigation as they participated as the crew of the Schooner Adventuress.

Harold said the experience, hosted by Sound Experience, was funded by the Renton School District’s GEAR UP program, and while the students who participated were not all in the same class, they were chosen because of their STEM aptitude and would benefit most from the experience.

“Many had never been on a boat before,” Harold said. “Many of them had never even been away from home like that before.”

The five-day, four-night journey put students directly into the sailing experience. Harold said at first the rocking and heeling of the 130-foot boat with a 70-foot-tall sail mast put students in noticeable discomfort, but teachers also noticed the students becoming progressively more at-ease as they gained their sea legs.

At first, Harold said the kids showed plenty of trepidation on the boat, uncomfortable with the uncertainty of the waves and the unknown depths of the water. Soon, the students quickly showed growth as they immersed themselves in the duties, lifestyle and experience of a mariner on the sea.

Students had the chance to draw open the sail, climb the mast, navigate at night using landmarks, learn about the marine ecosystem and changing climate conditions as part of the experience.

Harold said that students were able to learn applicable physics lessons and other classroom-taught ideas in a hand-on and organic way.

“They were ‘accidentally’ learning about physics in everything they did,” Harold said.

Pollard said students were essentially integrated into the crew of the ship, participating in necessary daily duties of running a ship all while learning about STEM principles while calculating angles, square footage of sail and other factors of sailing a ship.

Pollard said the students quickly learned they were “capable of more than they realized” through the experience.

After the trip, two of the students are now getting the chance to be apprentices on the ship.

After being uncomfortable on the ship at first, Harold said the students were singing sea shanties and sharing stories of their voyage with peers by the end of the journey.

While this trip was only funded by GEAR UP once, Harold and Pollard said they are looking at ways to fund the experience for future students.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

Students enjoy sea life on a recent GEAR UP program trip. Photo courtesy of the Renton School District

Students enjoy sea life on a recent GEAR UP program trip. Photo courtesy of the Renton School District

More in Northwest

Courtesy Photo, Renton Police
Enumclaw man charged with March murder in Renton

Suspects are accused of duct-taping victim’s face before burglarizing his home.

t
Child’s death leads to multiple charges for Federal Way father

Woo Jin Hahn is currently in jail with a bail of $5 million.

Map of some scheduled protests in the Puget Sound area. (Screenshot courtesy of nokings.org)
‘No Kings’ rallies scheduled across King County on June 14

The nationwide effort is intended to protest recent actions and policies by the Trump administration.

File Photo/Sound Publishing
How to prepare for increased wildfire risk this summer

The Department of Natural Resources has tips on how to protect property.

Renton City Hall. Courtesy photo.
Renton Police Guild files lawsuit against city

The suit claims that the city prohibited the guild from using surplus funds for a health savings account.

Courtesy Photo, WSDOT
Brief overnight SR 167 closures this month in Renton, Kent and Auburn

June 8-9 in Kent; June 9-10 in Renton and June 12-13 in Auburn

t
Small plane crashes into Lake Washington near Renton

No injuries in Sunday, June 1 crash just north of Renton Municipal Airport

Kshama Sawant says she is running against Adam Smith, D-Bellevue, next year for the 9th District Congressional seat. COURTESY PHOTO, Kshama Sawant
Seattle socialist Kshama Sawant to challenge Adam Smith

Announces run in 2026 election for 9th District Congressional seat

Demographics of crime victims in King County from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Courtesy photo.
King Co. 2024 crime stats show more women victims

County prosecutor supports more funding for crime victims.

Officer Richard “Rick” Klein being inducted as a Federal Way officer in Sept. 2018. File photo.
Federal Way settles in harassment case against police officer

Lawsuit alleges that officer sexually harassed a student during basic training academy.