CHARLESTON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL STUDENTS RETURN FROM SIX-DAY SAIL ON  SPIRIT OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Part of School's annual Winterim Offerings

Charleston, S.C. (March 24, 2011) - The Spirit of South Carolina will return to Charleston Maritime Center this Friday, March 25^th between 1:30 and 2:00 PM. The tall ship will arrive in Charleston Harbor with seventeen ninth through twelfth grade students and two faculty members from Charleston Collegiate School. The students boarded the 140-foot vessel in Hilton Head on Sunday, March 20^th for a six-day winterim leadership program. Led by their teacher and South Carolina Maritime Foundation Board Chairman, Robert "Teddy" Turner, IV, the students learned team-building and leadership skills that they can then apply to their lives ashore.

After a busy first day of boat orientation, talking about their new community, and learning about their responses and tasks for any emergencies, the ship dropped the anchor and the student and professional crew had time for some fun. They played sculptionary, a group game that fosters communication.  The next day, the crew awoke early to the sails. Once the sails were up, the entire crew conducted drills including fire, man overboard, and abandon ship.

Throughout the week the students participated in many activities aboard. They stopped the boat using the sails and enjoyed a swim call. "The student crew seemed to find the water cold. The swim was refreshing to say the least and a good time was had by all." said Jeremy Tagliaferre, Spirit's Head Educator. Other activities have included a class focused on the way colors are refracted in seawater, collecting and preserving phytoplankton samples for the Phytoplankton Monitoring Network, going ashore on a barrier island to discuss coastal processes, and regular journal-writing time to gain personal insight into their unique experience.

Upon its return, the ship will only leave Charleston two more times during her spring season: March 29^th-April 2^nd and April 18^th-21^st for the Spirit Ocean Adventures Spring Break programs serving 8^th -10^th graders. On Monday, March 28^th the ship will be open in the afternoon from 5:00 - 7:00 PM for the Spirit Ocean Adventure Open Ship for teens and adults. For more information about these open-enrollment programs for teens aboard the Spirit of South Carolina, please visit www.SpiritOceanAdventure.com. Adults interested in a Spirit Ocean Adventure expedition should visit www.SCMaritime.org/adult_programming.html.   

Charleston Collegiate School offers a thirty-acre campus in the middle of the rural beauty of John's Island. Originally called Sea Island Academy, the school was founded in 1970 to serve local families who valued quality education and as the school grew the focus became more college-oriented and in 2002, it was renamed Charleston Collegiate School. The school values creativity, compassion for others, a passion for learning, and vibrant diversity. Charleston Collegiate School is a nonsectarian, independent school organized as Lower School (PS-5), Middle School (6-8), and Upper School (9-12). It offers a traditional liberal arts curriculum and seeks to develop students academically, athletically, and artistically. To learn more visit www.CharlestonCollegiate.org.

The South Carolina Maritime Foundation is a nonprofit that owns and operates Spirit of South Carolina. The Foundation's mission is to create opportunities for life-changing experiences resulting in leaders for tomorrow's communities. Since its first season of programming in 2007, over 7,000 students have been served. With the support of local partnerships, South Carolina Maritime Foundation is able to generate funds to keep these exceptional programs in place. For more information about the Foundation, please visit www.SCMaritime.org, follow us on Twitter www.Twitter.com/SpiritofSC and become a Facebook Fan www.Facebook.com/SpiritofSC.