New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Fourth Graders at Alma del Mar Charter School in New Bedford’s North End are gaining first-hand knowledge of the commercial fishing industry with help from the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center. Since March, Executive Director Laura Orleans has been a “scholar in residence,” teaching Alma scholars about the skills folklorists like her use to learn about and document local culture. Scholars are using these skills to study the local fishing industry.
Over the course of 12 weeks, fishermen, lumpers, and gear designers are sharing their knowledge through classroom visits and scholars are doing fieldwork at a variety of shoreside businesses. The program, which is part of a unit on simple machines and the fishing industry, is being funded through a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s STARS Residency Program. The STARS program (Students and Teachers Working with Artists, Scientists, and Scholars) supports creative learning residencies of three days or more in the arts, sciences, and humanities.
To date, Rodney Avila (fisherman and safety instructor), Jim Dwyer (lumper), and Tor Bendiksen (net designer) have visited the school. For each classroom visit, scholars are assigned jobs as illustrators, photographers, interviewers, and note takers. Fieldtrips to Fairhaven Shipyard, Scandia Propeller, and Reidar’s Manufacturing have allowed scholars to experience the industry at work. Over the next two weeks, scallop captain Chris Wright and scallop bag maker Mathieu Lemieux will visit the classroom. On May 21st, scholars will take their final fieldtrip to Bergie’s Seafood to learn about fish processing and to Eastern Fisheries where they will tour a working scallop vessel. The program will culminate on June 9 when scholars present what they have learned as part of their Expedition Night.
Alma del Mar is a public charter school serving New Bedford. Our mission is to put every one of our scholars on the path to college and to challenge them to be service-minded leaders. We are achieving this mission by providing a highly demanding, highly supportive education to every student who walks through our doors. We currently serve 240 students in grades K-5. In the coming years, we will expand to offer grades K-8. Alma del Mar features a longer school day, a longer school year and outstanding teachers from across the country. We offer free transportation from anywhere in New Bedford as well as a free afterschool program for low-income families. Alma del Mar offers programs for students with special needs as well as students learning English.
