Exactly four weeks ago, on August 28th, 39 students from 17 states and 34 high schools arrived at Chewonki to launch Maine Coast Semester 63. During their four months on Chewonki Neck, this talented group of students will take a deep dive into place-based education. They’ll study coastal ecology, natural history, sustainability, and farm and food systems, along with math, art, literature, and world languages. And, they’ve already hit the coast running! So far, Semester 63 has visited Morse Mountain and Pemaquid Point on Science Field Lab, volunteered at the Common Ground Country Fair, and joined the youth Climate Strike in Portland. They’ve listened to Colin Woodard, author of the Lobster Coast, discuss the history of Maine, and met with artist Marjorie Moore at her exhibition, Global Warnings.

To cap-off their jam-packed first month, semester 63 left on their wilderness trips during the early hours of Tuesday morning. Five groups will be traveling to the Bigelow Mountains, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, the St. Croix River, and the coast off of Stonington.

And, thankfully for our students, this is just the beginning! Enjoy some photos of our students’ recent adventures below:

Science Field Labs to Pemaquid Point and Morse Mountain:

At the Portland Youth Climate Strike:

Marjorie Moore’s exhibit Global Warmings:

Volunteering at the Common Ground Fair: