TO: Students in the Maritime Pathway Program

PROGRAM LOCATION:   Bayfront Maritime Center, 40 Holland Street,

Erie 16507 Tel: 814-456-4077

PROGRAM TIMES: ‘A’ and ‘B’ DAYS…..1^ST and 2^nd BLOCK….08:40 to 11:30 am

Welcome! This is going to be a very exciting ‘breakout’ year for all our Erie High School Students participating in the Maritime Pathways Program. The Erie School District’s mission is to expand your educational opportunities by partnering with the Bayfront Maritime Center (BMC) in Erie. The Maritime Pathway Program is designed to offer you the very best in Maritime Education opportunities for Career and Work  and/or continuing education prospects upon graduation from Erie High School.

Time Line Overview of The Morning Classes:  Students will report to BMC for Breakfast beginning at 08:30 am followed by 1^st Block at 08:40.  2^nd Block will commence at 10:15.  All Students will be dismissed from  BMC at 11:30 am and will ride an ESD School Bus arriving at EHS in time for 3^rd Block and Lunch at 11:50.

Transportation Resources: Please visit the EMTA website for your Bus schedule. There is App that you can download to your smartphone: ride-the-e.com/apps/. The destination to BMC will be the Intermodal Transportation Center, 208 East Bayfront Pkwy, Erie, 16507.  From the Intermodal Transportation Center, cross Holland Street and walk north one block to BMC.

If you have any questions please contact me directly, as I will be the EHS Teacher at BMC every day. I will also be available each day at EHS in Room 276 for 4^th Block as I will teach ‘Ecology of the Great Lakes’.

We look forward to seeing you next week!  Go Royals!

Respectfully,

Mr. Clive Tattersall

Erie High School Maritime & Science Teacher

Email: ctattersall@eriesd.org

Office Phone:  814.456.4077 Cell: 814.440.0792

Big Ideas Learning, a subsidiary of Millcreek Township-based Larson Texts Inc., has pledged $100,000 over the next six years to help the Bayfront Maritime Center complete construction of its Porcupine schooner project and to provide maritime-themed math curriculum for onboard programming.

Rich Eisenberg, executive director of the Maritime Center, and Larson Texts CEO Matthew Totzke announced the partnership Friday morning during a news conference inside the Maritime Center’s boat room at 40 Holland St., where work on the Porcupine is ongoing.

When completed, the Porcupine, a historical representation of a War of 1812 square topsail schooner, will be known as The School Ship for Presque Isle Bay.′

Big Ideas Learning presented Eisenberg with a $25,000 check. Totzke said his company will donate an additional $25,000 to the Maritime Center in 2018, and continue its support with yearly donations of $10,000 from 2019 through 2023.

“In addition to the financial support, one of the things that was important to us was also to help with developing the curriculum because that’s our expertise and something we thought we could bring,″ Totzke said. “A lot of people can write the check, but not everyone can help make the programming as high quality as Rich wants it to be.″

Eisenberg said Maritime Center officials have raised more than $400,000 for the project but need additional funding to cover the project’s estimated $810,000 cost.

“This donation helps us a lot,″ Eisenberg said. “We’re still fundraising, we still need more to finish this. We’d like to be sailing in the spring of 2018. That’s an aggressive schedule, and I’m making no promises, but that’s what we’re shooting for. If we can raise enough money, that can happen. It’s aggressive.″

Staff and veteran shipwrights have been working since the spring of 2015 to transform a donated 40-foot fiberglass hull into the Porcupine’s envisioned primary role as a regional science, technology, engineering and math classroom for area students.

That science and technology vision is incorporated into its composition: fiberglass hull, steel keel and a wooden deck, wooden masts and mostly wooden interior.

“Rich and I probably started talking at the beginning of the year, and from the beginning we realized we have similar missions, where we’re really focused on the student, every student can learn, and they can learn through applying their knowledge through real world skills,″ Totzke said.

Larson Texts and Big Ideas Learning have produced math textbooks for students in sixth grade through college calculus for nearly four decades. They are used each year by about 5 million students.

The company was founded in 1978 by then-Penn State Behrend math professor Ron Larson and has been based since 2000 at its two-story, 25,000-square-foot facility, the former Belle Valley Elementary School, at 1762 Norcross Road.

Construction started in June on a $5 million project that will add a new four-story addition and additional 32,000 square feet to Larson Texts’ existing structure.

“In talking with Rich, I got really excited about the possibility of us being involved in a very real way in the Erie community with our expertise in education and with a partner that shares a lot of our ideas,″ Totzke said. “It was a no-brainer.″

Friday’s announcement comes on the heels of a recent $5,000 donation to the Maritime Center from the PNC Foundation to support construction.

Besides its primary function as a floating classroom offering half-day or full-day sails for schoolchildren, the Porcupine also will conduct overnight programs, public sails, private charters and special programming.

The twin-masted Porcupine will be 43 feet in length on its deck and a maximum 15 feet 2 inches wide. Its sparred length, from the bowsprit to the back of its main boom, is 62 feet. The vessel’s draft is 5 feet 4 inches.

A 7,800-pound keel was welded to the hull in the past year.

Shipwrights have changed the shape of the Porcupine’s bow, stem and transom, installed a rudder, and have raised the freeboard, giving the vessel more height above the waterline as well as additional internal room and more deck space.

The original gunboat Porcupine was built under the direction of Daniel Dobbins in the spring of 1813 near the foot of present-day Sassafras Street. The Porcupine fought in the Battle of Lake Erie near Put-in-Bay, Ohio, in September 1813.

Kathy Palmerton, of Ravenna, Ohio, and her now late husband, Keith Palmerton, donated the Porcupine’s 40-foot fiberglass hull in September 2014 after learning about the center and its work with inner-city and underserved children.

Ron Leonardi   ron.leonardi@timesnews.com

L-R: Rich Eisenberg-BMC Director, Dennis Williams-BMC Board Secretary, Ken Phillips-Porcupine Volunteer, Matt Totzke- CEO at Larson Texts, Sue Dombrowski- VP Finance and HR Larson Texts, Doug Boucher-BMC Board President

Breezy fall days were made for sailing on the bay! Maritime Instructor, Peter Schaefer, teaching a Project SAIL apprentice how to take the helm and steer her course.

Join us for food and fun at an open house in the BMC boatshop, Thursday the 14th of July from 5 to 7 pm. See the construction progress on Schooner Porcupine. Learn more about the Schoolship for Presque Isle Bay and the other summer programming underway at BMC.

This hands-on and scenario based course earns attendees a 2 year certificate from the American Safety Health Institute.              Space is limited    –     Sign Up Today.

FIRST AID COURSE FOR BOATERS!

EASE began its 14th season of adaptive sailing on Friday June 20th! BMC started adaptive sailing in 2000, and the EASE program became established in 2001. This is the first and still the only adaptive sailing program in Pennsylvania. It serves the entire tri-state region. THANK YOU to the more than 20 dedicated EASE volunteers who organize, schedule, staff, and sail all day with the sailors, while parents, grandparents,siblings, and caregivers share in their experience while aboard the escort vessel, EASE-Y SPIRIT.

One of BMC’s EASE Hansa dinghies sailing on the best natural harbor in the entire Great Lakes, Presque Isle Bay.

Veteran racing sailor and EASE volunteer, Russ Thompson, underway with a happy young sailor.

 

 

All loaded up and ready to sail.

Having a lot of fun out on the water.

 

 

A beautiful sailing day in Erie, Pennsylvania

EASE began with fundraising help from the Junior League of Erie to purchase two Access Dinghies. Steadily growing since 2000, EASE now has 5 dinghies, which re-branded to Hansa Dinghy.  The 6th vessel is paid for and on its way thanks in part to grants from the Autism Society-Northwest Pennsylvania and other generous donations. This will enable program expansion to include more sailors.

 

Family members and siblings participate in EASE aboard EASE-Y SPIRIT, the new safety – escort vessel. with Mike Eisert at the helm.

USCG inspected passenger vessel #1168495, EASE-Y SPIRIT.

EASE-Y SPIRIT and BMC’s waterfront campus.

The 150 HP 4 stroke Honda outboard engine is clean, efficient, and quiet, while providing all the power needed to safely carry passengers, tow BMC’s side-scan sonar, and haul our students and scientific collection nets and equipment.

Since 1998

BMC’s mission is: to design and implement hands-on, maritime themed, educational, vocational and recreational activities for the community in a universally accessible waterfront facility.