Southport Island's Sherman Brewer is over halfway through his semster-at-sea with the Ocean Classroom program.

Since January, Brewer and the other students have learned how to sail the schooner, Harvey Gamage, while completing their studies aboard ship and at the various islands they visited in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.

Hands-on studies have included manning watch on the ship, visiting a rain forest and hiking a volcano, snorkeling to study marine wildlife, visiting the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary, working at a local cocoa plantation, an unexpected visit with a Dutch ship full of fellow high school students, volunteering at a school for Stateless Children (Hatian orphans), as well as visiting multiple historical landmarks throughout the Caribbean.

Sherm's mother, Sarah Sherman, and brother, Jake Brewer, recently traveled to Charleston, S.C., to meet the ship and visit with Brewer over parents' weekend. The Harvey Gamage will continue to make her way up the Eastern Seaboard, with the ship’s final destination being Portland in May, at which time the students will graduate the program.

Brewer and his family would like to take this opportunity to thank the local organizations who helped make his trip possible through their generous scholarships: The Southport Island Association, the Masons at Seaside Lodge, the Rotary Club, Ocean Classroom and the Shane Ferrante Scholarship Fund.