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Reviving a Tradition- in East Harlem! by Paul Pennoyer Most people look surprised when told there's a maritime junior rope or fish-oiling the bilges. high school in East Harlem at l 20th Street and First A venue. Today , Project Sail is focusing its efforts on designing a Given the City's maritime tradition, they really shouldn 't be. curriculum that will provide both academic and character The first maritime school was established in 1874 when development. With continued encouragement from both the Congress passed an act authorizing the City to set up a high Principal of JHS 45, Isidore Bernstein, and Admiral Miller and school aboard the 149-foot full-rigged ship St . Mary's. The with buses from the Board of Education, we have now been students went on summer sail training voyages across the able to increase our classes from once a month to once a week. Atlantic. Responsibility was eventually transferred to the At the College, students receive their regular instruction from State, leading to the establishment in 1913 of the State Univer- EHMS teachers in classrooms aboard the Empire State, parsity of New York Maritime College at Fort Schuyler in the ticipate in a team and leadership development course using 27Bronx. And for several decades the City maintained a marine foot monomoy lifeboats, and receive more individualized trades high school aboard the retired WWII Liberty ship John instruction from College cadets and professors working in W. Brown moored in the Hudson River. The East Harlem small groups . Maritime School (EMHS) was granted permiss ion last year to Yes, New York City does have a maritime junior high use the facilities at the SUNY Maritime College, thanks in school and a real one at that. While we do not expect many of large part to President Admiral Floyd H. Miller's personal our students to take to the sea, we do hope to provide them with positive learning experiences and basic academic and personal interest in helping inner-city youth. TheEMHS was started in the early 1970s by District Four's sk ill s with which they can go on to pursue their own educasuperintendent Anthony Alvarado. While initially successful , tional and career interests. So, please, if you see three monoit was unable to retain a qualified staff. But in the mid 1980s, moys rowing up the East River, honk your horn . We need the a new staff began to coalesce around one teacher's sail train- encouragement. It's a long way to Fort Schuyler! D ing experience aboard the barkentine Regina Maris and another teacher's experience working in the US Virgin Islands. Mr. Pennoyer, Marine Biology instructor at the East Harlem Initially, none of the planned activities could be funded by Maritime School, is President of Project Sail Inc . the Board of Education, so a nonprofit group, Project Sail Inc., At a Project Sail conference at the State Maritime College, Ft. was formed in January 1990 to raise fund s. This enabled us to Schuyler, last fall, East Harlem Maritime students show their stuff en list the schooner Ernestina for a spring sail training trip from Gloucester to New Bedford, Massachusetts, and to continue a pilot program at the Maritime College with each class spending one day a month on such maritime skills such as rowing, navigation and marlinespike seamanship . Back in Manhattan, a model sail boat program was in its third year with seventh graders building boats for the annual race in Central Park and enjoying great successes. For two .years, a competitive rowing team , run in conjunction with the Empire State Rowing Association and the Roberto Clemente Park, has plied the Harlem River waters alongside the Manhattan , Fordham and Columbia crews, never overtaking but at least maintaining poise when passed. And for three years, a core of EHMS students has worked Saturdays aboard the Wavertree at South Street Seaport Museum loading coils of