Massachusetts Maritime and Buzzards Bay Coalition Launch Innovative Sailing Education Program

Massachusetts Maritime Academy Collaborates with Buzzards Bay Coalition to Enhance Maritime Education This spring, Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) partnered with the Buzzards Bay Coalition to deliver an innovative educational program targeting 650 students from elementary to high school in New Bedford. The initiative combines experiential learning with cultural appreciation, highlighting Cape Verdean heritage and Buzzards Bay's maritime history, through interactive activities that integrate science, engineering, technology, mathematics, and business concepts. Now in its second year, the program provides students in grades 3 through 12 with the opportunity to participate in educational day trips aboard the historic sailing vessel SSV Ernestina-Morrissey. These excursions aim to teach students about navigation, maritime history, and local culture while engaging them in hands-on experiments and observations. During the trips, students interacted with educational stations led by experts from the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s Outdoor Learning program, as well as local educators, with guidance from MMA crew members and Captain Tiffany Krihan. Participants learned about the schooner’s ...