WEBVTT

00:00.480 --> 00:07.919
We built a community around this island

00:03.520 --> 00:11.440
and I feel like our bonds are stronger.

00:07.919 --> 00:13.280
>> For 550 kids in New York City, this is

00:11.440 --> 00:15.360
high school where all of the typical

00:13.280 --> 00:17.279
stereotypes of a high school experience

00:15.360 --> 00:19.920
are met with career training courses

00:17.279 --> 00:20.720
that focus on the ocean that surrounds

00:19.920 --> 00:22.800
their home.

00:20.720 --> 00:25.279
>> I'll do some data. Zoe will do data for

00:22.800 --> 00:27.840
two different groups. All right, sound

00:25.279 --> 00:30.080
good. Okay, let's head down. The goal of

00:27.840 --> 00:31.840
this school was to give opportunity to

00:30.080 --> 00:33.600
maritime education to those students who

00:31.840 --> 00:35.600
may have never been able to get that.

00:33.600 --> 00:37.600
>> Harbor School was founded so that these

00:35.600 --> 00:39.920
city kids could like realize that they

00:37.600 --> 00:42.239
live in this like they're surrounded by

00:39.920 --> 00:44.719
beautiful nature. You know, it's so many

00:42.239 --> 00:48.320
water waterways that are important to

00:44.719 --> 00:50.399
how New York City became New York City.

00:48.320 --> 00:52.800
Students get hands-on experience in a

00:50.399 --> 00:54.559
range of maritime skills to prepare them

00:52.800 --> 00:57.680
for careers in everything from

00:54.559 --> 00:59.680
aquaculture to ocean engineering. They

00:57.680 --> 01:02.225
get the chance to build and operate

00:59.680 --> 01:04.239
boats, designing submersibles, and

01:02.225 --> 01:05.360
[music] even dive in and conduct real

01:04.239 --> 01:07.439
life research.

01:05.360 --> 01:08.560
>> What's up, everybody?

01:07.439 --> 01:10.960
>> Today, we're getting a look at the

01:08.560 --> 01:12.159
school's ongoing oyster restoration

01:10.960 --> 01:15.680
research program.

01:12.159 --> 01:17.600
>> Speedium extra speedium like I like it.

01:15.680 --> 01:19.200
The school works hand in hand with a

01:17.600 --> 01:22.159
nonprofit [music] called the Billion

01:19.200 --> 01:25.040
Oyster Project. Its goal, Restore New

01:22.159 --> 01:28.080
York's once thriving Oyster Population.

01:25.040 --> 01:30.479
>> They're just telling me how many oysters

01:28.080 --> 01:32.240
are on their their shell and then they

01:30.479 --> 01:34.640
tell me whether it's alive or dead and

01:32.240 --> 01:40.479
measure shell height. It's like length

01:34.640 --> 01:44.000
from tip to tip. The goal is to monitor,

01:40.479 --> 01:46.240
study, analyze a billion oysters or get

01:44.000 --> 01:48.720
a billion oysters in water.

01:46.240 --> 01:50.799
>> So the billion oysters project of is to

01:48.720 --> 01:51.360
put a billion oysters back into New York

01:50.799 --> 01:53.840
Harbor.

01:51.360 --> 01:54.799
>> Wow. How do how do we know how close we

01:53.840 --> 01:57.840
are to this goal?

01:54.799 --> 01:59.439
>> Uh by doing monitors just like this. If

01:57.840 --> 02:01.360
a student wants to be involved in the

01:59.439 --> 02:03.439
maritime industry, then this school is

02:01.360 --> 02:05.119
able to provide the opportunities and

02:03.439 --> 02:07.119
the pathways for those students to get

02:05.119 --> 02:09.280
into those uh fields.

02:07.119 --> 02:09.920
>> It's sort of forming a oyster reef at

02:09.280 --> 02:11.360
this moment.

02:09.920 --> 02:12.959
>> Our goal is to get around a billion

02:11.360 --> 02:14.560
oysters in and that should bring back

02:12.959 --> 02:15.200
native oyster populations that were

02:14.560 --> 02:16.800
killed off.

02:15.200 --> 02:18.640
>> Just like a regular class, they receive

02:16.800 --> 02:20.720
grades on assignments. Uh the

02:18.640 --> 02:22.879
assignments are more hands-on, but they

02:20.720 --> 02:24.640
are indeed typical school assignments

02:22.879 --> 02:26.480
that are graded. They're called career

02:24.640 --> 02:28.959
and technical education classes and

02:26.480 --> 02:30.959
they're part of a pathway uh for each of

02:28.959 --> 02:33.599
our state approved programs. Last year,

02:30.959 --> 02:35.760
more than 90% of our students uh were

02:33.599 --> 02:36.400
accepted [music] into 4-year college

02:35.760 --> 02:37.519
programs.

02:36.400 --> 02:40.319
>> A bunch of them that do want to study

02:37.519 --> 02:41.760
marine science uh which is great from

02:40.319 --> 02:43.519
this program. You know, I've had a lot

02:41.760 --> 02:45.120
of alumni who have gone on to study

02:43.519 --> 02:47.120
aquaculture specifically in marine

02:45.120 --> 02:49.519
science. I have one who's teaching our

02:47.120 --> 02:50.800
oyster farming classes now in Maine. So,

02:49.519 --> 02:51.920
that's exciting. [music] Um

02:50.800 --> 02:54.239
>> it's very exciting.

02:51.920 --> 02:55.360
>> Yeah. All right. Can you pull that?

02:54.239 --> 02:55.920
>> Yeah, that's a little bit better. All

02:55.360 --> 02:58.800
right.

02:55.920 --> 03:01.440
>> Harbor alumni Shaina Rajun Dianarin was

02:58.800 --> 03:03.360
so inspired by her aquaculture training,

03:01.440 --> 03:04.560
she went on to become a Billion Oyster

03:03.360 --> 03:06.080
Project employee.

03:04.560 --> 03:07.599
>> Honestly, it's been one of the most

03:06.080 --> 03:11.040
beautiful blessings ever.

03:07.599 --> 03:13.040
>> I got to like do this a little bit in

03:11.040 --> 03:14.800
our like freshman field, which is where

03:13.040 --> 03:16.879
we get to like experience a couple of

03:14.800 --> 03:19.040
all of the programs. And once I did that

03:16.879 --> 03:20.720
in field, I was like this is where I

03:19.040 --> 03:22.560
belong. I belong with all of the oysters

03:20.720 --> 03:24.159
in the muck and the heavy lifting and

03:22.560 --> 03:26.159
all the data. It's beautiful.

03:24.159 --> 03:28.959
>> You love this so much that you come back

03:26.159 --> 03:32.400
now to help. What do you see when when

03:28.959 --> 03:33.920
you look at these youngsters?

03:32.400 --> 03:36.640
>> Honestly, it's really inspiring. [music]

03:33.920 --> 03:38.117
It's so full circle for me to one go

03:36.640 --> 03:39.519
through the program, graduate from the

03:38.117 --> 03:41.200
[music] program, come back to take care

03:39.519 --> 03:43.519
of the space, and then now also get to

03:41.200 --> 03:45.200
come back and work with students and see

03:43.519 --> 03:46.959
them do the same thing. And also see

03:45.200 --> 03:48.640
that they're just as excited about it as

03:46.959 --> 03:50.319
I am. It's not often that you see kids

03:48.640 --> 03:51.280
come in and be excited for school. Not

03:50.319 --> 03:52.799
at all. Right.

03:51.280 --> 03:54.319
>> And then here, they're like, "Oh, we

03:52.799 --> 03:56.319
have oysters today, or we're on the O

03:54.319 --> 03:57.680
eco do today, or this is what we get to

03:56.319 --> 03:59.120
do. Let's get in it."

03:57.680 --> 03:59.840
>> What do you love most about coming out

03:59.120 --> 04:03.760
here?

03:59.840 --> 04:05.280
>> Um, I definitely like this kind of what

04:03.760 --> 04:07.840
I want to do for the rest of my life.

04:05.280 --> 04:09.360
>> What's your hope for people [music] um

04:07.840 --> 04:10.319
through the work that you all are doing

04:09.360 --> 04:12.959
here,

04:10.319 --> 04:16.320
>> how it might impact? I hope that people

04:12.959 --> 04:18.560
like learn about these kind of how how

04:16.320 --> 04:21.359
there are like these kind of jobs and

04:18.560 --> 04:23.759
activities you can do in in New York

04:21.359 --> 04:25.759
like especially like [music] just an

04:23.759 --> 04:28.320
urban place that you can you can still

04:25.759 --> 04:30.720
like save wildlife here like by

04:28.320 --> 04:32.800
interacting with like oysters.

04:30.720 --> 04:34.800
>> For its students, the New York Harbor

04:32.800 --> 04:36.720
School offers a huge leap into their

04:34.800 --> 04:38.240
future.

04:36.720 --> 04:39.520
>> Well, I've known that I want to be a

04:38.240 --> 04:42.320
marine biologist since I was in the

04:39.520 --> 04:44.880
third grade. So, one of my family

04:42.320 --> 04:46.080
friends like knew someone who went here.

04:44.880 --> 04:47.919
They're like, "Oh, like you should you

04:46.080 --> 04:48.720
should check it out. Like, it's a it's a

04:47.919 --> 04:49.600
really cool school.

04:48.720 --> 04:50.160
>> What are you going to do when you

04:49.600 --> 04:51.600
graduate here?"

04:50.160 --> 04:53.360
>> I've applied um to the United States

04:51.600 --> 04:54.800
Coast Guard Academy and I'm hoping you

04:53.360 --> 04:56.720
to get in there. They got a little bit

04:54.800 --> 04:58.800
of a low acceptance rate, but I think I

04:56.720 --> 05:00.240
could do it. I'm in the honor society,

04:58.800 --> 05:02.800
so they're looking for like very

05:00.240 --> 05:05.280
prestigious or people, very academically

05:02.800 --> 05:05.759
smart, physically active people,

05:05.280 --> 05:07.600
>> right?

05:05.759 --> 05:10.240
>> I think I if I can get in there, that's

05:07.600 --> 05:10.800
um free college. Dude, that sounds

05:10.240 --> 05:12.479
dreamy.

05:10.800 --> 05:16.240
>> Everything. So then and then I have to

05:12.479 --> 05:17.199
take I have to um serve for 5 years at

05:16.240 --> 05:18.400
my family.

05:17.199 --> 05:19.120
>> You got this, man.

05:18.400 --> 05:20.639
>> Yep.

05:19.120 --> 05:25.360
>> I'm

05:20.639 --> 05:27.440
having uh time like the time of my life.

05:25.360 --> 05:29.840
>> Do you have any idea of like what your

05:27.440 --> 05:34.479
dream job might be someday? Yeah, I want

05:29.840 --> 05:36.800
to go into college and study aquaculture

05:34.479 --> 05:38.880
and then

05:36.800 --> 05:41.759
uh

05:38.880 --> 05:44.639
continue on that career path. Later on,

05:41.759 --> 05:47.840
I will go back to school, get my PhD,

05:44.639 --> 05:49.759
and uh become a veterinary nurse.

05:47.840 --> 05:51.759
>> Wow, that's amazing.

05:49.759 --> 05:54.560
>> The Harbor School is nestled on

05:51.759 --> 05:57.440
Governor's Island about 800 yardds south

05:54.560 --> 05:59.600
of Manhattan. The former military base

05:57.440 --> 06:03.120
is now part [music] public park, part

05:59.600 --> 06:05.759
cultural and educational hub. And this

06:03.120 --> 06:08.000
172 acre island is only accessible by

06:05.759 --> 06:11.520
ferry, which means for these teens,

06:08.000 --> 06:13.759
their school bus looks like this.

06:11.520 --> 06:15.759
>> I feel like this school has a lot more

06:13.759 --> 06:17.280
diversity, especially because

06:15.759 --> 06:19.360
everybody's coming from all different

06:17.280 --> 06:22.800
areas. Like you have people from Staten

06:19.360 --> 06:24.479
Island. Um I'm not I'm in Brooklyn, so

06:22.800 --> 06:27.280
I'm used to Brooklyn and that's where I

06:24.479 --> 06:30.000
went to school. And so the kids like

06:27.280 --> 06:31.680
have a lot more chances to talk to many

06:30.000 --> 06:34.319
different people, make new friends.

06:31.680 --> 06:35.280
>> What's your hope for the the program?

06:34.319 --> 06:37.680
>> The program.

06:35.280 --> 06:39.600
>> Yeah. You look 10 years from now, 20

06:37.680 --> 06:41.759
years from now,

06:39.600 --> 06:43.280
the impact [music] it might have.

06:41.759 --> 06:45.440
>> Um

06:43.280 --> 06:48.069
I hope that it continues to draw people

06:45.440 --> 06:50.479
in because that's the best best way

06:48.069 --> 06:53.600
[music] to like genuinely get into this

06:50.479 --> 06:54.880
kind of thing is to like get dirty and

06:53.600 --> 06:56.080
fall in love with the earth. that's

06:54.880 --> 06:57.600
around you.

06:56.080 --> 06:59.360
>> So, I hope that we just keep encouraging

06:57.600 --> 07:00.800
people to come out because that's that's

06:59.360 --> 07:03.134
a good way to start.

07:00.800 --> 07:04.160
>> Give me a dirty high five.

07:03.134 --> 07:06.400
>> [laughter]

07:04.160 --> 07:06.400
>> Love