All Aboard Old Ironside
TechBoston Academy Explores the USS Constitution Museum
Developing as a student-athlete off of the field is as important on the field. In addition to athletic and academic opportunities that Harlem Lacrosse offers, participants in the program are able to engage in enrichment activities throughout the year. During the fall season at The TechBoston Academy, the boys and girls programs travelled to the USS Constitution Museum to explore the historical park at the end of Boston’s Freedom Trail. It was a day filled with history, nautical facts, and a few reenactments of the iconic Titanic scene at the bow of the ship. The day served as an awesome bonding experience for the for the TBA boys and girls teams to get to know each other outside of school.
The trip started out with a few train rides from Dorchester to Charlestown where the museum is located. This was the first time using public transportation for a few participants and the first time for Coach Alfonse and Coach Molly supervised a group of twenty on the MBTA. Luckily the entire group made it with only minor detours.
The action began well before stepping foot on the ship. Shietamar, a sixth grader on the girls team, overcame her fear of heights as we walked across the Charlestown Bridge. With the help of her teammate Lillyany and a group of strangers, Shietamar stayed brave and held the hands of the group and crossed the bridge! Once the entire group made it to the museum, the students had time to explore the USS Cassin Young, a retired Naval ship built in 1943 during World War II. The group was in awe of the size of the ship and got a better idea of the role of the Navy.
The main event occurred in the museum of the shipyard where the group was greeted by an active Naval officer, Jason who served as the caption for the day. The students learned about the history of the USS Constitution and the materials and time it took to build the ship. They were then split into groups and asked to research various parts of the Constitution to help build their own! Once the research was complete, each group was given a budget of only $30 to purchase supplies (tissue paper, sticks, string) to build a boat that could successfully carry six cannons (pennies).
Once each group built their ship, the race was off! Only one of the four boats successfully sailed across the test platform but all four groups supported each other and worked hard with one another despite the outcome. The ships that survived made their way back with the group to Dorchester and the rest was history! A huge thank you to our tour guides for planning an awesome day for the students.