Phoebe went on her first Sea School trip, a 10-day sailing expedition, when she was 16. She came back for a 7-day the next summer, then spent the following year in Australia traveling and working as a deckhand on a tall ship, but it wasn't nearly as good as living on Dorothea, so she returned to Nova Scotia and spent the summer doing another 7-day trip and then sailing as Leading Crew on a 21-day and another 10-day. Phoebe has worked summers as the Enrollment Coordinator since 2007. She loves introducing new people to the Sea School, getting to know parents and participants, and spending summer days in Lunenburg sending out trips and meeting returning ones. She has recently completed a 2 year cabinetmaking and furniture construction program at the NS Community College in Cape Breton.
Gwen D'Ambrogi has been the financial coordinator for Sea School since 2004. Before being an employee, Gwen was involved with the Sea School as a parent, having two daughters participate in sailing trips. This personal connection gave her first hand knowledge of the benefits and unique opportunities that the sea school offers young people. Gwen has over 25 years experience in business and finance.
As a child Richard always wanted to sail but opportunities were limited or non existent. As a teenager Richard immersed himself in river and mountain travel. When studying to become a teacher he explored ways of connecting school subjects to the natural world of land and oceans. He believes that high on a mountain peak or walking along a beach are unique places to explore the world around us and the impact humans have had on this ocean planet.
Eventually in the middle of the mountains in Northern England Richard crewed on a dinghy in a snow storm and he was hooked! Richard has instructed sailing, canoeing, mountaineering and wilderness skills in the UK and Canada, and became a Sea School instructor after the school's first instructor training course in 1995.
The impact of being with teenagers on a small open boat off Nova Scotia, or the winter wilderness, woods should not be underestimated. Richard feels privileged to see inner understanding; compassion and joy develop in the faces and eyes of his fellow crew and travelers whenever he does a Sea School trip. He believes in the Sea School because as an organization, we have worked hard to achieve our mission and provide opportunities to teenagers and adults from the full economic, social and cultural backgrounds represented in Nova Scotia and the word beyond.
Crane grew up by the water in New York and Massachusetts, sailing and rowing small wooden boats. Being near water always makes him happy. He discovered as an adult that being around teenagers makes him happy too. So in 1994 he combined these joys with the aspiration to do something useful and founded the Nova Scotia Sea School.
Crane has a Masters of Architecture degree from Harvard University and practiced architecture in Boston for 8 years. In 1990 he took time off to pursue his interest in the study and practice of meditation, intending to return to his practice and a list of waiting clients.
However Crane returned, not to his architectural practice, but to his childhood love of wooden boats and sailing. He served as deck officer and seamanship instructor on tall ships in the US and Canada, including HMS ROSE, PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II, CORWITH CRAMER and others, and earned his US Master¹s license as captain of sailing vessels up to 200 gross tons.
In 1994 he settled in Halifax, the best move of his life. He says that Nova Scotia is a sane and decent place, and that his life has really blossomed since moving here, and that the Sea School is the fruit of it.
In 2003 Crane was awarded the Queen's Jubilee Medal for the Sea School's contribution to the Canadian community.
Zoë has been sailing with the Nova Scotia Sea School since its first year. She was part of the crew that built Dorothea, the Sea School's first expedition boat, and sailed as a student on the Dorothea's maiden voyage out of Halifax. Eight years later Zoë guided the second expedition boat - Elizabeth Hall - through her maiden voyage, this time as an assistant instructor. This past summer was Zoë's fifth season as expedition captain. A lifetime of working with young people and the sea has instilled in Zoë confidence, enthusiasm, respect and admiration for other people and the elements. The most valuable learning - the one she most wants to share - is an awareness of one's own abilities, interests, and the satisfaction of being engaged.
Zoë's passion for leading sailing expeditions is matched by a love of art and encouraging creativity. Currently, she is very excited about working with the Sea School to explore the transformative power of creativity with community groups. Zoë has shown her art internationally; she completed her BSc. in Environmental Studies and Philosphy at the University of Toronto; and her Master of Arts in Atlantic Canada Studies at St. Mary's University.
David MacCulloch is a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia and he grew up sailing in the Northwest Arm. He has been sailing for as long as he can remember as his mom and dad have always sailed. He joined the sea school as a student at the age of 15, doing boat building and summer sailing programs and he has been on trips with the Sea School nearly every summer since. He has sailed all around the Maritime provinces, south to Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands. He worked his way up from a participant, to Leading Crew to Assistant Instructor, then in 2007, David graduated to a Sea School Captain and began leading trips. He loves living on and around boats, teaching people how to sail and exploring the coast of Nova Scotia.
Evan Cervelli became involved with the Nova Scotia Sea School as a student when he was fifteen. After many years and much learning he is now a sailing instructor. Evan appreciates the many life lessons which the Sea School has taught him and hopes to one day make an extended adventure on a tallship. Recently Evan worked for the Coast Guard Inshore Rescue which provided him with an opportunity to improve his seamanship and marine safety skills. Evan has always enjoyed working with youth and being outside.
Geoff grew up sailing in the Halifax area. He started racing at the age of 13 and competed locally and nationally. Despite an impressive resume of sailing victories which include a gold medal in 2005 Canada Games for the Laser Radial sailing class and a countless list of other medals and placements in laser sailing competitions all over North America, the Nova Scotia Male Sailor of the Year Award and the Nova Scotia Yachting Association Legacy Award, Geoff is an incredibly down-to earth guy and excellent instructor. Geoff will graduate this spring with a mechanical engineering degree from Dalhousie University and is Canada’s representative on the Sail Training International Youth Council. Geoff loves giving youth the opportunity to experience something unique with the Sea School; helping youth become more self confident and more aware of their potential through sailing with the Sea School is an experience unlike any other!
Keegan first came on a program with the Sea School in 2004 as a participant. He completed 4 sailing expeditions, both as a participant and as Leading Crew, as well as 3 wilderness trips with the Sea School and began working as an assistant instructor with the Sea School in the summer of 2009. He began working with youth through the Canadian Cadet Movement teaching music at summer camps and since then has become a Bosun in the Canadian Reserves. Keegan started sailing with the Cadet Movement, became hooked, and began taking Dinghy lessons at Dartmouth Yacht Club. Keegan is currently a music and history student at Dalhousie University. He maintains his boat skills through various courses with the Canadian Power Squadron, the Reserves, sailing with family and the Sea School.
Sailor, surfer and lover of fun, Mac hails from the Great Northern State of Maine and is currently living in Santa Cruz, California. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2006 with a BA in psychology and education. His senior thesis explored experiential education as a means to provide modern rites of passage for adolescent males. He has worked in outdoor experiential education for three years. Outside of his time with the Sea School, Mac was an instructor for Outward Bound (OB) and the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). His work with Outward Bound dove tailed with his thesis and he developed a rite of passage program for boys ages 12-13 for Outward Bound. Working for Sea School, OB and NOLS, has given Mac the opportunity to sail around the coast of Nova Scotia, Massachusetts and Mexico. He is also a traveling wave-chaser, and has surfed in Central America, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii. He most recently returned from a delivery job, taking a boat through the Panama Canal to the Galapagos Islands.
Chris was born in Nova Scotia and has grown up with the ocean in his backyard. He spent his early summers playing in the woods and finding scrap materials to build rafts and watercraft. Chris first adventured with the Sea School in 2007 with the wilderness program, Take It Outside, and Chris soon found himself realizing childhood dreams of sailing with the Sea School. Chris recently completed the Baking Certificate program at the Nova Scotia Community College, and placed 3rd in the Nova Scotia Skills Competition for Baking. He also worked as an apprentice at Boulangerie La Vendéenne. Chris is now attending George Brown College in Toronto for culinary arts. Chris is excited to return to the Sea School in 2010 for more cooking and sailing adventures.
Leigh Bird grew up in Collingwood, Ontario on the shores of Georgian Bay. Her love of the outdoors started at a very young age hiking the Niagara Escarpment, sailing and paddling at the family cottage along the St. Lawrence River. She first found her way to Halifax in 1999 when she began studying Marine Biology at Dalhousie University, and grew to love the north atlantic. Since then she has been traveling, and has had the wonderful opportunity to combine her deeply rooted connection to the environment and experiential education by teaching at an outdoor school in southern Ontario for the past five years. She is happy to be back in Halifax to reconnect with the coast and continue teaching experiential education.
Pat is the Sea School’s chief surfboard building instructor. He has run 3 Build Your Own Surfboard programs for the Sea School. Pat has built around 2 dozen boards, many through a painful trial and error process that the surfboard building course helps others avoid. Pat has almost completed his career goal of being all the things he wanted to be when he grew up. When not working he busies himself surfing, snow-boarding and planning to take over the world. He works with the Sea School as a way to learn, practice new skills, teach others a valuable skill and have fun!
Ben Gallagher moved to Halifax for love, and ended up loving sailboats too. He writes poetry, rides bicycles, and cooks often. He studied philosophy and literature in school, and after graduation has done work with GPI Atlantic, Heartwood Centre for Community Development, the Roberts Street Social Centre, Connections Clubhouse, and the Nova Scotia Sea School. He has a commitment to community-based projects, Do-It-Yourself living, and spending time outside. Above all, he believes that art encourages people to deeply engage with their lives, and wants to facilitate that engagement as often as possible.
Kiersten Holden is a multidisciplinary artist and musician, with a focus in youth/community arts facilitation. She hails from the prairies of Manitoba, growing up in Riding Mountain National Park. In 2001 she completed an International Ecotourism Expedition & Adventure Leadership Certification from College of the Rockies in Golden, BC. She found her way to Halifax to study at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University, from where she received an Interdisciplinary BFA. She has been living and working in the North End of Halifax since 2002, and focuses her work around community arts, youth facilitation, and is passionate about the therapeutic effects of art and creative expression. She has worked collaboratively on creative community projects at St. Georges’ Youth Net, The Joseph Howe Elementary School, The George Dixon Center, The Ecology Action Center, and on Ironbound Island through Hands-On Projects, Etc (HOPE), The 4C’s Foundation, and The Nova Scotia Sea School. With a respect for the social, cultural, racial, and economic diversity of HRM, she is inspired to continue working with communities using art and creative expression as a powerful tool for personal and collective growth.
Zak has been with the Sea School for the past 4 years, acting as an instructor, program developer, and participant. Trained in Wilderness First Aid, Woodworking, and Shop Safety and hailing from Manitoba, Zak has focused on the ’dry land’ aspects of the Sea School. The lessons he fosters deal with the simple and the slow, the rewards of sticking to the plan, the importance of responsibility to the self; the patience accomplished after tooling your very own hand made Sea Chest that transfers into our everyday life; and the confidence that we build alongside the projects that prove to us we can do the things we have not done before.
Zak is a Public Educator and Program Coordinator for the Ecology Action Centre, an avid Capoeira practitioner, and a slam-hammering good time musician. Of all the things that make up his professional life, Zak’s principle focus is working with other people - especially youth - to help realize our potentials and our abilities to work hard and accomplish our goals.
Born and raised in England, Sai has been working in the field of outdoor education/recreation since 1997. He has worked with many different people in diverse settings; from leading 30 day wilderness expeditions for teens on the verge of serious trouble at home, school or in the community, to managing a high ropes course and climbing wall, to guiding dog sled trips. He has a broad range of international work experience, having worked in the U.K., Irish Republic, Italy, Switzerland, United States, and Canada. Sai is passionate about leading an active lifestyle and using active transportation when possible and promoting active living to others.