TopSail STEM Program

For more than 30 years, young people have made discoveries about themselves, their abilities and the world around them aboard a tall ship as they participate in our award-winning TopSail Youth Program. A unique, exciting and challenging exploration in active learning, the program is designed to foster curiosity, self-empowerment, critical thinking, teamwork, leadership, STEM comprehension and environmental awareness. 

Recognizing the extraordinary value of hands-on learning outside of the traditional classroom setting, our founder Captain Jim Gladson – an LAUSD science teacher and sailor – designed an innovative program that incorporates every aspect of operating a complex, traditionally rigged sailing vessel to engage youth in the excitement of learning. In addition to bringing subjects like science, engineering and math to life, the real-world learning environment challenges young participants to work together while improving communication skills, stimulating critical thinking and building confidence. It also provides a safe environment to address a variety of feelings, especially with the “challenge by choice” activities that are popular among students and teachers alike.

Our TopSail STEM Program builds on our signature TopSail Youth Program and leverages the STEM framework inherent to our program, as many aspects of sailing a tall ship on the water fall into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). For example, focusing on the ‘M’ in STEM, we use the navigation component of our program to enhance students’ interest in mathematics. Our navigation curriculum is designed to teach students the basics of simple navigation, including how to identify the symbols and data on a nautical chart. In the process, they are introduced to charts, symbols and the geometry involved. Students then use this information to determine a course. They also focus on the aspects of mechanical advantage on board a tall ship, including the skill of rigging block and tackle. It is here at sea where students realize that mathematics and physics have very real, practical uses.

We also collaborate with the teachers and youth group leaders on the program’s curriculum and experiential activities, because they are customizable to meet the educational priorities of the school or group. In addition, they can choose to include activities that expose students to such topics as physics, marine biology, watershed ecology, plastics in the ocean or food supply – all designed to reinforce classroom learning in full support of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). See more details in our Program Brochure.