Myers students set sail aboard historic ship

ALBANY, N.Y. (Sept. 18, 2012) – Four students and a teacher from Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School returned today from a six-day voyage on the Hudson River, where they lived and worked as 17th-century sailors.

Crew members pictured at right include, from left to right, eighth-graders Kyle Pearlman, Laura Bulmer, teacher Larry Drew, Aaron Shields and Alexis Kittel. The crew also was composed of students from other area middle schools and a Dutch university.

The group sailed on a full-scale replica of the Half Moon, the Dutch ship Henry Hudson sailed in the 1609 voyage that led him to what is now Albany.The trip  included one of two legs that paralleled Hudson's expedition, and the crew helped sail and maintain the ship.

You can follow their progress and daily logs by clicking here.

The journey was part of this year's Fall Voyage of Discovery, an annual recreation of Hudson's path up the river that now bears his name. It is sponsored by the New Netherland Museum, the non-profit that owns and operates the Half Moon.

The mission of the City School District of Albany is to educate and nurture all students to be responsible citizens, critical thinkers and lifelong learners to successfully compete in the global community by providing an academically rigorous and safe environment in partnership with parents, students and the community. The district serves about 8,600 students in 15 elementary, middle and high schools. In addition to neighborhood schools, the district includes several magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic opportunities for students, including four themed academies at Albany High School.