Sojourner’s Truth

JFK Middle School, Florence MA

Updates:

1st Voyage

  • January 25, 2018 - Program start at JFK Middle School

    The boat was hand delivered by EP Program Director Cassie Stymiest to the Global STEM Classroom at JFK Middle School.

  • February 26, 2018 - Students named the boat

    A reference to one of Northampton’s most famous residents, and truth in science through exploration, the JFK Global STEM group has named her Sojourner’s Truth.

  • April 30, 2018 - Transported to Newport, RI

    The boat was put aboard the Bigelow in Newport Rhode Island later this week. The crew is at sea conducting bottom trawl surveys that help feed into fisheries management decisions.

    The boat has a special sensor package aboard – with sensors for air and water temperature. We have not yet received a report with the data so fingers are crossed it kicks in soon!

  • May 4, 2018 - Launched

    The Sojourner’s Truth has been launched, thanks to the crew of the R/V Henry Bigelow! Here is the report from Navigator and Junior Officer Lee Shoemaker, ENS/NOAA:

    “We are happy to report that glider “Sojourner Truth” from JFK Middle School in Northampton, MA was deployed this morning at 0716 in position 41-32.9N 066-46.4W. For reference, this was approximately 142 nautical miles east of Cape Cod and 122 nautical miles south-southwest of Cape Sable, Nova Scotia. Winds were from the southwest at 15-18kts at the time of deployment and the glider was observed moving in a east-northeasterly direction when we departed the area.
    I have attached a couple of photos of the deployment. We hope we were able to assist with your science work!”
    From the teacher almost immediately after the CO report came over email, we received the following note:
    “A gigantic WHOOP rang out in our classrooms with the news that Sojourner’s Truth was on her way. Thank you so much to the crew of the Henry B. Bigelow!!! You have inspired our whole school!”

  • June 6, 2018 - Recovered at sea

    Around 9:30am we heard from the school that the students have been studying Greek Mythology and had been relating the tale of our dear ST to the myth of Agamemnon and have been making sacrifices to the wind gods to help her change her course… and around 10am we received a phone call that fisherman Drake Scott had spotted the ST about 5 miles off York Harbor, Maine. They volunteered to turn around and recover her so she can be launched further in the Gulf Stream.

    After circling George’s Bank for weeks and a total voyage of 33 days all around the Gulf of Maine, perhaps the students’ interest and passion for the project helped in this interesting tale of recovery!

    This boat had air and water temperature sensors on its first voyage. The data is available by contacting us.

2nd Voyage - GPS#1

2nd Voyage - GPS#2 - Underway

  • October 9, 2020 - Delivered to the crew of SEA Semester for deployment

    After its first voyage in the Gulf of Maine in May-June 2018, the miniboat Sojourners Truth was brought to the docks in Woods Hole, Massachusetts thanks to Jim Manning. Mr. Manning is an Oceanographer at NOAA NEFSC and kept the little boat safe and sound for over two years in his back yard. Ms. Parrott, the lead teacher for the boat at JFK Middle School, also came to the docks on Friday to add student messages and treasures inside the hatch for its second voyage. With safe social distancing protocols, the boat was prepped and taken aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer. Thanks to Captain Sean Bercaw and the entire SEA Semester Program as their class and crew have plans to launch the boats into the Gulf Stream during their program, which you can read more about (and watch the sendoff moment) via Facebook live here:

    As mentioned in the video above, Captain Bercaw has been launching message-in-a-bottles for decades. Here’s a video about him and his efforts:

    Captain Sean Bercaw. from hrldmm on Vimeo.

  • October 11 - SEA Semester Crew

    On October 11, the S/V Corwith Cramer left port with its crew to study the “Atlantic Odyssey and Ocean Exploration”.

    You can follow the cruise blog on the SEA Education Association Website here.

    More about Class C-294 here:

  • October 25, 2020 - Launched into the Gulf Stream

    Thanks to the crew of the S/V Corwith Cramer and the SEA Semester Program, the Sojourner’s Truth was launched alongside the Rye Riptides into the Gulf Stream on October 25, 2020 at 15:37GMT.

    The two miniboats on deck, ready for launch
    Sojourner’s Truth sailing away!

    More pictures and videos will follow when the crew returns to port in November.

    CLICK HERE to read the blog entry from SEA Semester with all the details!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every year the Global STEM Center (a Massachusetts based non-profit), brings exciting STEM projects to schools in collaboration with other nonprofits, STEM corporations, college/universities and government agencies. The collaboration plans with Educational Passages have been developing over the last 4-5 years – and finally, this academic year (2017-2018) it was launched! Many THANKS to the enthusiastic support from Cassie Stymiest, passionate science teachers from Northampton Kate Parrott and Jacob Masenior, and a strong support from the Superintendent Dr. Provost, all wonderful students and the NPS team!