
A floating classroom, the School Boat allows students to participate in voyages of discovery into Erie Canal history and ecosystems as they explore the long range impact of New York State’s most famous waterway. Day long field trips provide guided voyages to specially designed programs at the Herkimer Home, Erie Canal Village or Schoharie Crossing. Curriculum packets featuring primary document questions designed for use both before and after your students’ trip are available to further their ability to interpret local and regional history and meet state standards. Additionally, the School Boat will collaborate with other agencies on an ongoing basis to offer a comprehensive agenda of enriching “hands-on” experiences across the disciplines that will incorporate the opportunity to conduct science labs and participate in the arts. |
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Herkimer BOCES 4th Grade Field Trips resume for new season |
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Fourth graders from Canajoharie School aboard the ERIE CANAL BOAT as the Herkimer BOCES field trip program resumed for 2006 this week.
The State Council On Waterways vessel carried a record 800 students on educational cruises through Lock 17 at Little Falls last year. |
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Capt. Tom Ryan addresses the students about the canal and safety aboard ship prior to the hour long field trip. The program was started by Herkimer BOCES in 1999, and continued by the State Council on Waterways since 2002. |
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The Herkimer Home, via Lock 17, is the destination for the field trips. It was the home of Revolutionary War hero General Nicholas Herkimer who died at the Battle of Oriskany, and is now a state historic site. |
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The boat's mascot Burke, the Erie Canal Boat Dog, immediately jumps off the dock upon arrival at the Herkimer Home to the delight of the students. |
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A view of the Little Falls "pot holes," the geologically significant cylindrical formations in the rock outcroppings of Moss Island. They were formed by stones propelled by swirling waters as the last ice age receded through the Mohawk Valley. |
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A view of Lock 17 as the ERIE CANAL BOAT departs, heading east with 40 students, teachers and staff. The lock was the largest in the world when it was constructed in 1916, and at 40.5 feet of lift remains the largest among the 57 locks of the New York State Canal System. |
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