PORT TOWNSEND — Students in the Port Townsend School District learned about maritime career opportunities at the Wooden Boat Festival.
Students from Port Townsend High School, Port Townsend Maritime Academy and Salish Coast Elementary students spent their school day Friday at the festival, where the older students learned about maritime careers and boat building and the elementary students enjoyed the arts and crafts and toured the vessels.
Sophomores from the high school and the maritime academy listened to a panel of people in the industry — from the Boat Building School, salmon fisherman and others — who spoke about what they do and what students could expect if they go into maritime careers.
The older students enjoyed their time at the festival.
“Its been pretty fun. We get to see some really cool boats,” said Savanna Hoffman, high school sophomore.
“It’s cool to hear how easy it is to get in the maritime business.”
Para-educator Michael McKell, a chaperone, said that the district’s maritime program is a way for the district to encourage vocational and technical training instead of college.
“The whole intent of the day is to expose the students to the opportunities within the maritime community,” McKell said.
The high schoolers participated in a cardboard boat building competition where they had an hour to build a working boat out of cardboard and duct tape, and then were judged on how well it floats, how it looks and its integrity.
Hoffman’s boat was named “Quack Attack” and she was working to build it with classmates she doesn’t work with on a regular basis.
“This is pretty fun working with classmates I don’t see a lot and trying to put something together,” Hoffman said.
Each team had 12 pieces of cardboard and two rolls of duct tape to build a boat. McKell said the exercise was teaching the students teamwork.
“One person will have to paddle the boat in a test pool,” McKell said. “Whoever chooses to be captain will get wet.”
Today is the Wooden Boat Festival’s last day and tickets can be purchased online at woodenboat.org.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5 or at [email protected].
