T he C olumbia P ress
January 24, 2020
3
Local students’ boats headed to Japan
The Columbia Press
A small boat built by students
at Warrenton Grade School is
on its way across the ocean,
destination Japan.
More than 200 people at-
tended the miniboat summit
this week at Columbia River
Maritime Museum. Three Or-
egon schools, including WGS,
launched boats as part of the
program and after working
remotely with students in Ja-
pan.
The students christened
their boats with sparkling ci-
der, a U.S. maritime tradition,
and doused them with salt for
good luck, a Japanese tradi-
tion. Then the boats were giv-
en to the U.S. Coast Guard and
Columbia River Bar Pilots for
launching.
Pacific Power’s chief execu-
tive, Stefan Bird, congratulat-
ed the students on their suc-
cess.
The company was a ma-
jor supporter of the program
this year, helping the class in
Warrenton add solar-powered
lights to its boat.
“These are the kinds of em-
ployees we’re going to need,”
Bird said.
Seventh-graders from WGS
and Wy’east Middle School
in Vancouver, Wash., handed
their boats off to the bar pilots
for launching off the Oregon
Coast.
The boat from Columbia City
Elementary was taken by the
U.S. Coast Guard for launch-
ing off the coast of California.
“This is a global, multi-disci-
plinary STEAM (science, tech-
Students Kinsley Hoggard and Nicole Hopkins work on the set.
Students present nostalgic play
Above: The crowd
listens while an engi-
neer from Pacific Power
talks about the miniboat
program.
Left: A Columbia River
bar pilot accepts the
boat from Warren-
ton Grade School for
launching off the coast.
Warrenton High School’s
drama department presents
“Thoroughly Modern Mil-
lie” on three days next week.
The story is set in New
York City in 1922.
Showtimes are at 7 p.m.
on Wednesday, Jan. 29; Fri-
day, Jan. 31; and Saturday,
Feb. 1. Doors open half an
hour before performances
in the auditorium, 1700 S.
Main Ave. Admission is $8.
Warrenton Schools Foun-
dation will hold an ice cream
social during intermission.
Photos courtesy Columbia
River Maritime Museum
nology, engineering, art and
math) educational program
for students in the U.S. and Ja-
pan,” said Nate Sandel, direc-
tor of the miniboat program
for the museum, which spon-
sors the program. “I’m pretty
sure this program has changed
a few students’ lives and may-
be the trajectories of what they
want to do when they grow
up.”
The public can track the
progress of the GPS-enabled
boats and follow along on the
miniboat adventures through
the Columbia River Maritime
Museum’s website.
Do It For Her
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Nate Sandel
2111 Exchange St., Astoria, Oregon • www.columbiamemorial.org