Class Afloat (Grades 11 and 12)

- Multi-Country

Locations Throughout the World,  Locations in Europe

  Canada

• All Other Areas in Canada: 
Lunenburg

Duration of Program: 1-2 years
Dates: Sept-June

Description: Grade 11
A homogeneous 11th grade group starts its experience in the Academy (in residence) where we focus on land-side preparation for the journey ahead. Students build a cohesive group and a culture of teamwork as they complete courses best suited to terra firma and where they will take an active role in the planning of and preparation for their travels to foreign destinations. They are guided by a faculty that has shipboard experience and who will equip these students with the tools and attitudes to extract the most from their shipboard programme. Our experience demonstrates clearly that shipboard life benefits are optimally harvested at around the 120 to 150 day period. It is the best time to step back, debrief, assimilate and build transfer skills. The average class size is 10 and the student to teacher ratio is 10 to 1. SAT and ACT testing are administered at the Academy and students are offered a full inventory of college counselling services. We are pleased to offer, among other subjects, English, Math, Chemistry and Physics at the Academy and reserve more interactive course for the shipboard timetable.

Eleventh grade students will also register for enrolment in the Duke of Edinburgh's Awards a programme that recognizes young people for: community service, skill development in leisure, fitness and healthy lifestyles, involvement in a challenging journey of discovery that features self-reliance and team-building skills, and a residential project involving training or service away from home. By grouping our 15 and 16 year olds together, we have the opportunity to design rules and community expectations in keeping with their age group, acquiring independence in manageable increments that closely reflect their development.

Grade 12
The structure of our 12th grade programme reflects the maturity of 12th grade students. In addition to offering them a true third world service project in Dakar and a Christmas at sea, they will enjoy rules and behavioural expectations that respond to their needs for incremental and responsible independence. This group, many of whom will have joined us a year earlier in 11th grade, will follow courses at sea, such as Political Science, Economics and Oceans, that are well suited to our ever-moving classroom.. Back home in Lunenburg in the Spring, they will follow courses such as English or Calculus that are well suited to the more conventional learning environment of the Academy.

Students in the 12th grade group, as with grade 11 students, enjoy small classes and a student-faculty ratio of 10 to 1. This time of year is also given to the completion of Canadian and European college and university entrance documents. It is also the ideal platform from which to prepare for the major provincial (end of year) examinations and to organize the celebration of that achievement. The group will have a pivotal role in organizing the College Graduation ceremonies, the 11th Grade Homecoming and the celebratory dinner and dance events that mark end of year celebrations. Spending the Spring in Lunenburg with our graduands provides the faculty with the time required to facilitate an effective assimilation of the entire Class Afloat experience. In short, for Class Afloat to be entirely effective, we must provide students with the tools and strategies needed to apply their learning in the world beyond Class Afloat.

Highlights: About Class Afloat
Your Passport to Education, since 1984

Imagine a semester of school where you sail around the world...and earn credits!

Class Afloat, "Sea Education Program of the Year 2000" (American Sail Training Association) is the world's premier experiential education program. Studies come alive through hands-on learning experiences in over 35 countries worldwide.

A Class Afloat Education is unparalleled and serves its students for the rest of their lives. It produces young adults who are wise beyond their years. From Zanzibar to the Amazon, from the Galapagos to Easter Island, from Casablanca to St Petersburg, Class Afloat is "your passport to education, bringing the classroom to the world".

Academic Programs are tailored to the needs of serious college and university preparatory students

Come Aboard and learn as you never have before!

Cost in US$: Please Contact us for further information.

This Program is open to World Wide Participants.

Participants Travel Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• In-Person Interview when Feasible
• Letters of Reference
• Phone Interview
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Job and Internship Network
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

West Island College International - Class Afloat 's Mission Statement: Class Afloat is the world's premier experiential education program. It is dedicated to the continuing growth of very good and very successful young adults by challenging them to be better; preparing them for responsible global citizenship in the 21st century; demanding value-based and ethical leadership; developing self-sufficiency, initiative, and problem-solving skills; and driving academic rigor to the next level. Class Afloat students aim to forge new standards in academic excellence, personal development, and leadership.

Year Founded: 1984