Sometimes it is easy to forget Manhattan is an island.

College Now Arts & Humanities Programs

Treasure Island: Discovery! Summer Rowing Program

For students who will be in the following grades in Fall 2008: 10th and 11th Grades.

See the city from a different angle this summer as you row a boat down the river and learn about New York's water ecosystems and its maritime past. Read about pirates such as the notorious real-life Captain Kidd, who lived on Pearl Street, Manhattan, dining on local oysters the size of dinner plates! Explore the islands of the city on walking trips while you build your writing and science skills.

The summer program uses rowing boats known as Whitehall gigs. They are 25 feet long and very sturdy. In the 1800s this type of boat was the primary form of fast transportation on the Hudson, Harlem, and East Rivers.

Find out how the age of discovery, and traveling the world’s oceans, changed human history. Read your own collection of four great books, including a classic tale of piracy in graphic novel form.

Courses & Schedule
Four summer Workshops in Team Rowing, English Language Arts (ELA), and Digital Visual Graphics, with four Discovery Walking Tours, and three other field trips

July 7 – August 14, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On rowing days, students spend mornings preparing the boats at the Village Community Boathouse, learning skills for handling a rowing boat in New York harbor, giving reports and presentations, and cleaning and putting boats away.

After breaking for lunch, afternoons are reserved for Language Arts, great literature, and digital graphics - writing and recording your thoughts via articles, essays, poems, and creative non-fiction. Inspiration comes from field trips and outdoor exploration, increasing and deepening students’ knowledge. This component of the program results in research and writing for the program’s newsletter, A Weigh with Words.

Eligibility Requirements

Be a New York City public high school student. Priority given to those starting 10th or 11th grade in Fall 2008, but entering freshmen with good recommendations from teachers or counselors may also apply.

Demonstrate interest in science, technology, and English Language Arts (to be determined by interview).

Completion Requirements

Attendance is extremely important, especially since classroom and outdoor lab activities depend on data collection. Exact number of permitted absences to be announced.

Students must participate in all parts of the program.

Students must contribute to the newsletter, participate in a final performance arts project, and make final science presentation.

Sign Up/More Info
For more information on this program, please contact Mary Nell Hawk, interim summer program coordinator at mhawk@bmcc.cuny.edu or (212) 346-8490. See also the College Now web page, or download an application.