Contacts

Steve Stewart
Great Lakes Education Program Director
Fax: (586) 469-6948
E-mail: stew@msu.edu

Gary Williams
Wayne Program Co-Director
E-mail: will1009@msu.edu

Michigan Sea Grant
21885 Dunham Road - Suite 12
Clinton Township, MI 48036

Important: What Every Teacher Should Know

• The Great Lakes Education Program provides your class with a full day of experiential education. The GLEP schoolship cruise may be scheduled for either the morning or afternoon, as is the case for the Lake Erie Metropark learning session.
• All GLEP schoolship cruises are round-trip, leaving from and returning to Elizabeth Park in Trenton.
• Departure must be on time! If the boat departs late the cruise time can only be adjusted by shortened or deleted stops. The boat cannot “go faster” on the river to make up time.
• When 2 classes share a bus in the morning, the class going on the boat is dropped off first at Elizabeth Park. The other class is then taken to the Lake Erie Metropark marina.
• A $50 deposit is required by March 15. The balance is due prior to the actual cruise. Please do not bring cash or checks to the boat dock the day of your cruise.
• The Great Lakes Education Program reserves the right to adjust the program or cancel the cruise if there is a safety issue due to do weather or other unforeseeable circumstances. Cancelled trips will be rescheduled. Refunds are not given on adjusted programs.

The Boat

• The boat is Coast Guard inspected and certified.
• The captain is licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard for the boat he is piloting.
• Life jackets are aboard the boat – it is not required that they be worn, but are available if parents request their child wear one.
• Program staff are aware of safety procedures aboard the boat.
• There is NO eating, drinking, or smoking allowed aboard the boat. (Health issues that require eating or drinking are the only exception and must be noted on the trip registration form.)
• Cell phones cannot be used on the boat and must be turned off.

Your Class

• On the Reservation Form, include information about student needs – ADD, handicaps, wheelchairs, slow learning, diabetics, or any other special needs or concerns.
• Before boarding the class should be divided into four (4) groups. When breaking students into groups please keep in mind that based on experience, all boy or all girl groups are harder to keep focused.
• Each group should have an adult chaperone boarding with it.
• Adult chaperones should understand that this is a working field trip.
• Emphasize the importance of dressing in layers to your students and chapeones! Temperatures on the water can be 10 – 20 degrees cooler than inland. It is easier to take off something you have on than to put on something you don’t have!
• No sandals – students should wear rubber sole or non-skid shoes.
• Please take time to prepare your students for this trip. The teacher’s manual has a variety of materials to choose from to use before and after your day in the field.
• Visible nametags on the students are greatly appreciated and, if coded for the group, help keep students where they belong. Consider giving your 4 groups creative Great Lakes-related names perhaps 4 species of Great Lakes fish, or 4 of the 5 Great Lakes!
• Lunches are best kept on the bus. If your class must bring them aboard the boat, please put them together in a box or bag supervised by an adult chaperone.
• Teachers are expected to be involved in the learning process. Please “listen in” on your students, help them stay focused, and set the example by listening to and following the instructions of the staff.