// W O O D E N B O A T S //
LOWCOUNTRY MARITIME SCHOOL: MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE BOATBUILDING COMMUNITY TEAMING UP WITH BOATLIFE IN 2025 Lowcountry Maritime School (LMS) recently partnered with BoatLIFE for the 2024-25 school boat-building program. BoatLIFE offers high quality boat cleaning products, boat wax, polish, caulk, and more! BoatLIFE provided their Life-Calk® Polysulfide sealant to be used in the Bevin’s Skiff Fifth Grade Curriculum because they believe in the LMS mission: to inspire the Lowcountry's young people to reach their full potential through boatbuilding and exploring maritime culture.
About Lowcountry Maritime School Established in 2014, the Lowcountry Maritime School is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping educate 5th through 8th grade students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art and math using wooden boat construction and other maritime activities as their teaching platform. LMS engages their students in the path of learning through hands-on projects that are applicable in the real world. In addition to learning essential hard skills such as science and arithmetic, students are also exposed to many soft lessons and experiences that help improve their social and emotional strengths including learning to work with others in a team and building the patience and perseverance needed to complete a long-term goal! School Programs LMS Boatbuilding programs are co-created with the teachers at the school so that the classroom curriculum and schedules match with the lesson plans LMS has created, and their programs are underway this year. They cater to the schools needs for timing and block scheduling so programs can last anywhere from one semester to the entire school year. The program ends with a joint boat launch with all of our schools and programs!
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Lowcountry Maritime School Bevin’s Skiff Fifth Grade Curriculum LMS works with a variety of schools in Charleston County, incorporating one hour per week of class time to round out the science class with boat building as a hands-on STEM experience. Over the course of the school year, over 200 students build 12’ Bevin’s skiffs and end the year with a springtime boat launch where they row around in their newly built boats. Students learn real-life applications of geometry and math, basic shop skills with drills, drivers, pull saws, block planes, etc., and how to collaborate with their peers. The hands-on coursework is supplemented by state approved readers and work sheets that the teachers can share in the classroom to prepare them for the lesson. Ideally, LMS works with schools to reach the entire 5th grade class during school hours, but to expand their reach they offer afterschool clubs, summer camps, and weekend builds for other interested parties and parents on a smaller scale. They have expanded into more adult offerings as well including a weekly Community Boatbuilding Project. (Continued on Page 24)
Scuttlebutt Southeast // LAUNCH // May/June 2025