Old Hammondtown School’s sixth grade classes boarded the Cuttyhunk Ferry docked at the working waterfront in New Bedford on June 12 for an island adventure.
More perfect weather for crossing Buzzards Bay would have been impossible to imagine. And what awaited the 72 students on the other side was an experiential learning opportunity on an island steeped in history.
A partnership between the Mattapoisett Land Trust, OHS, Massachusetts Audubon Society members, Woods Hole Research Center, experts in natural history, archeology, and marine science, along with Cuttyhunk’s one-room elementary school teacher Michelle Carvalho came together to create the one-day educational extravaganza.
It was also a great experience for the two students who call Cuttyhunk home and attend the only surviving one-room school house in Massachusetts: Gwen and Carter Lynch. The Lynches have been engaged with the OHS students through virtual classroom programs and have been attending OHS several days per month. The Lynches’ grandmother lives in Marion where they stay when on the mainland.
For the one-day event, positioned throughout the island were stations where educators engaged the students in experiments or gave them insights in different types of island history.
Andrea Higgins and Chris Walz from the Audubon Society took groups of students to Tower Hill and other vantage points to observe how birds make a living on the island. Local resident and diver Dale Lynch (Gwen and Carter’s uncle) discussed shipwrecks near Cuttyhunk and showed them recovered ‘treasures’ he has found during dives.
Other stations along the shore featured geologist Dave Twichell who explained how the island was formed from glaciers some 20,000 years ago, and how sand moves in and around the island.
A few yards away Wendy Copps, a Mattapoisett resident, coastal scientist, and MLT member, demonstrated the power of wave action by having the children heave grapefruits and tennis balls into the surf and then time their return to shore.
There was island resident Allie Thurston describing early human settlement on the island, and Hilllary Sullivan of Woods Hole Research Center teaching the students how scientific testing is performed in salt marshes.
And then there was the great quahog-shucking lesson where kids tried their best to open the mollusks. Seth Garfield and his team from Cuttyhunk Shell Fish Farms demonstrated the technique and told the kids how the bivalves are farmed off coastal waters. Those brave enough to sample the shellfish showed off to their fellow classmen. A collective “Ew!” was occasionally elicited.
But the glue that brought this day of fun and learning together was attributed to one person, a single force of creative imagination and organizational skills combined with a keen eye on educational details: the island’s teacher. Ellen Flynn, education chairman for the MLT, said, “Michelle [Carvalho] was the one that brought most of this together.”
Cuttyhunk’s one-room school house was built in 1873 and as the OHS students sat in the cozy space learning about birds of prey, they got a sense of what it’s like being a kid on such a small island.
OHS science teacher Ben Squire said it was important for the Lynch children to feel connected and less isolated; thus, having the opportunity to stay on the mainland from time to time was critical to their social development. Of the day’s adventure, he added, “What a great trip … [and] good presenters.”
The students were also very pleased.
Grace Pickwick said she enjoyed learning about nesting birds, as did Corinna Robert. Brady Weglowski liked exploring Lookout Park. Eva Barrows was impressed with the shipwreck presentation. Julia Downey’s favorite part were the experiments in the saltmarsh, while for Kyle McCullough and Philip-le-Gannick it was learning about wave action.
The collective effort of the entire Cuttyhunk community can’t be overstated, however. The residents came out in force, providing golf cart transport for those needing a little help, insight into daily life on an island, and the warmest of welcomes to the students and faculty members.
As the ferry pushed away from the island dock, the residents gathered with Gwen and Carter as they waved goodbye to their visitors. Then the Lynch kids jumped off the dock in a ceremonial bon voyage splash that translates to “…come back again soon…”
By Marilou Newell
