How to Adopt a Ship

Please write to:

THE PROPELLER CLUB OF THE UNITED STATES   

3927 OLD LEE HIGHWAY, SUITE 101 A

FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA, 22030

ADOPT- A- SHIP PLAN

 

Teachers and pupils must notify The Propeller Club of their interest in adopting a ship. An application for participation must originate with a teacher. No individual pupil is allowed to adopt a ship. Classes eligible to participate in this Plan range from the fifth through eighth grade school level. When a teacher writes to The Propeller Club for a ship adoption, the following information MUST be included for our records:

blue bullet Full name of teacher

blue bullet Name and address of school

blue bullet Classroom grade number

blue bullet Number of pupils in the class

blue bullet Subjects to be associated with the correspondence in classroom study

Correspondence from the school will begin in September, immediately after a ship is assigned. The teachers and students involved are encouraged to develop the program to suit their educational needs.

The first letter from the teacher to the ship's Captain should request information regarding the ship’s itinerary and the best means of communication. The first letter from the class usually contains questions pertaining to size of the ship, number of crew, trade routes, cargo carried, imports and exports, etc. With correspondence fully launched, student's questions arise automatically and with great enthusiasm. Geography, social sciences, and other subjects take on a freshness not easily attained by textbook studies alone. One designated student may, if the teacher wishes, write the letter to the adopted ship, incorporating all-class questions. However, it is also possible (and typically the norm) for each student to write his or her own questions to the Captain. In any case, correspondence has to be supervised by the teacher. Duplicate questions must be eliminated. All correspondence should be enclosed in ONE PACKAGE with a covering letter from the teacher and forwarded to the ship every four to six weeks. The period of correspondence will run from early September to May 15.

IMPORTANT: If the teacher is unable to continue correspondence due to illness, retirement or transfer, all materials should be turned over to the relieving teacher. The Propeller Club should promptly be notified if the relieving teacher does not wish to continue the program so that the ship can be re-assigned.

When a teacher desires to continue adoption of a particular ship through the following school year, notice should be sent to The Propeller Club of the United States ADOPT-A-SHIP PLAN, 3927 Old Lee Highway, Suite 101A, Fairfax, Virginia 22030 before May 30, to avoid assignment to another school. We urge teachers to report at regular intervals as to the progress of the Plan and what seems to generate the greatest educational value.

Similar programs are also conducted in other countries, like England and Norway for instance. In these countries, however, all merchant marine ships are enrolled in the program through official government sponsorship.  

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