Today we played in Roadtown, Tortola. There isn’t really very much exciting here. It’s a big cruise ship stop and has all the tourist shops to go with it. We had our school visit at BVI High School, the only public high school on the island. It was a great learning experience for the girls as well as for me. The school system is setup so differently and doesn’t offer students as many second chances as schools in the US. There isn’t summer school or night school; you essentially have one shot to get it right. We met with From 4 students (the equivalent to 11th grade) math classes and the girls were able to get a lot of interesting information for their globalization projects. In walking around the classrooms and observing the conversations the girls were having with students, I heard many different topics discussed. I heard conversations about school uniforms and gang colors, sports, music, dance, women’s health, etc.
Ms. Sutcliffe, the Vice Principal, toured us through the school. She introduced us to one of the music instructors. He gave our whole group a quick lesson on the steel pans (drums). A couple of Tortolan students and the teacher helped us stay on beat. Gwen couldn’t help but dance as she played, but we’re finding out that she can’t really sit still any time there is music. During the tour we also learned that music is a really big thing in school in Tortola. As our music programs in the states are shrinking, their programs are expanding. They have a steel pan band, orchestra, jazz band and choir. It was an awesome experience and we were impressed with the variety of courses offered by this school. Check out the video below of our steel pan practice!
After leaving the school we let the girls explore Roadtown in their groups with the mission of completing a scavenger hunt. They found some pretty entertaining things that made them look more than skin deep. This was also their opportunity to call home, buy souvenirs, get their junk food fix and find some sort of iced drink. Everyone, including us teachers, needed to find a smoothie, glass of iced anything or ice cream just because we’ve been drinking room temperature water for so long while it’s been hot out.
As far as the girls and their sailing, they have been working hard to learn their lines, practice their navigation and remember where they need to be during emergency drills. They’ve had a lot thrown at them and for the most part, they’ve stepped up to the challenge. Every one of them has experienced a down time when they just couldn’t do it or were just tired and didn’t want to put the effort in, but it’s understandable and to be expected. Over all I’m really proud of the work they’ve done individually, but also as a team.
Ann Wasser (instructor)
Ms. Sutcliffe, the Vice Principal, toured us through the school. She introduced us to one of the music instructors. He gave our whole group a quick lesson on the steel pans (drums). A couple of Tortolan students and the teacher helped us stay on beat. Gwen couldn’t help but dance as she played, but we’re finding out that she can’t really sit still any time there is music. During the tour we also learned that music is a really big thing in school in Tortola. As our music programs in the states are shrinking, their programs are expanding. They have a steel pan band, orchestra, jazz band and choir. It was an awesome experience and we were impressed with the variety of courses offered by this school. Check out the video below of our steel pan practice!
After leaving the school we let the girls explore Roadtown in their groups with the mission of completing a scavenger hunt. They found some pretty entertaining things that made them look more than skin deep. This was also their opportunity to call home, buy souvenirs, get their junk food fix and find some sort of iced drink. Everyone, including us teachers, needed to find a smoothie, glass of iced anything or ice cream just because we’ve been drinking room temperature water for so long while it’s been hot out.
As far as the girls and their sailing, they have been working hard to learn their lines, practice their navigation and remember where they need to be during emergency drills. They’ve had a lot thrown at them and for the most part, they’ve stepped up to the challenge. Every one of them has experienced a down time when they just couldn’t do it or were just tired and didn’t want to put the effort in, but it’s understandable and to be expected. Over all I’m really proud of the work they’ve done individually, but also as a team.
Ann Wasser (instructor)
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