For 14 years, Kurt Spiridakis has taught the Maine Maritime Museum’s Boatbuilding Program to students at Woolwich Central School, South Bristol School, West Bath School and Georgetown School. The program has utilized boatbuilding to teach STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) since 1995. “Woodworking is a creative and satisfying process using both your mind and your hands,” Spiridakis said. “It teaches students that they can follow a process, even though it takes a long time and is semi-complicated, and make a successful product.” The boat that the students will eventually construct is a 12-foot, flat-bottomed skiff. Toward the end of the school year, students will launch and row their boat at Nequasset Lake. “The part that I love about this program is that it’s a great equalizer,” Woolwich Central School Principal Jason Libby said. “There are students from all walks of life – athletes, builders, artists – and they come together to work on a shared goal. They get to see the different strengths in each other. I think that is a life-long benefit of this program.”
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