Saint James School 5th Graders Set Sail For the New World

Today, Saint James School 5th Graders participated in the special tradition known as “Ship Day.”  Dressed in period clothes and without any modern comforts, the two 5th grade classes set sail for the new world.

The morning started with the “bag checkers” looking through each emigrant’s bag and taking out any items that would not have been around in the early 1600s.  Passengers then signed in on the manifest and received their sailing papers (i.e. class work).

While teachers stayed in the classroom, the students (led by their two Captains) were solely responsible for completing their work, maintaining a peaceful ship and working as a team to overcome challenges.  When rations started to dwindle, fishing (out the windows) took place (with a little help from the Kindergarten class below).  Music (with period instruments) occurred in the afternoon and the two “ministers” on the ship ensured that an hourly prayer was said (since of course, our pilgrims were in search of  religious freedom).

As the day draws to a close, land is sighted and the day’s voyage is over for these students.  However, they are returning from “sea” with a new appreciation for the challenges faced by our forefathers.