Boat building isn’t a skill most students acquire in high school, but for the seniors in the Guilford High School (GHS) class Voyages and Vessels, it is a skill that sets them apart. Now, thanks to a $1,500 donation, students in the class have some additional funds to take their boats to the next level.

The Voyages and Vessels class has been offered at GHS for five years as a senior year English option. The class takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining the study of maritime literature and boat building. For the class final, students take the boats they worked on throughout the year out for a sink-or-swim test on Lake Quonnipaug.

Cara Mulqueen Teasdale and Dave Hackett teach the class. Mulqueen Teasdale said the class has grown throughout the years.

“We center [the class] around the metaphor ‘the ship, the sailor, and the sea,’ and it has just been an incredibly successful class,” she said. “It started with 15 [students] and we have waiting lists now. We have 22 students this year—as many as we can fit into the workshop, we take.”

At the Board of Education meeting on Dec. 12, the board approved a $1,500 donation from marine retailer West Marine to the class. Mulqueen Teasdale said she and Hackett did not apply for the funds, but were surprised and pleased when they discovered the class was up for consideration and ultimately selected.

Through its BlueFuture Fund, West Marine awards grants to non-profit groups around the country. GHS Voyages and Vessels was one of 25 programs awarded grants this fall.

“West Marine really liked it [the class] just because it is so innovative,” said Hackett. “They give awards across the country basically near bodies of water…Ours stood out basically because of the combination of boat building and literature.”

With the money, Mulqueen Teasdale said she hopes students will be able to invest a bit more in their boats so that they last a lifetime.

“The class has grown quite a bit in numbers, but the money that is allocated for the course has not necessarily met that growth,” she said. “Consequently, resources tend to be thin and the kids have money available for plywood, etc. but they usually pay for their own finishing materials (paint, varnish, oils, fixtures etc.). We’re hoping to be able to give them a little bit extra to defray these costs and allow the finishes of the boats to match the work they’ve put into the construction.”

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Freeman said he was pleased to see this class recognized.

“It is a particularly exciting opportunity,” he said. “It is a good example of integration in our school.”