• by Kelly Samardak , October 9, 2009

Get Into The Swing Of Fall, Governors Island, New York
October 8, 2009

Growing up in a small town (corn and cows outnumbered the amount of good teeth) you learn to do what you can with what you've got.  That's probably the core of the Midwest mentality (not ignorance, as many entitled city types seem to think).  In high school this took the shape of learning my mom's signature so I could write my own early dismissals, which landed me such amazing trips as the Eastwood Mall, Chagrin Cinemas, or ... wait for it...Subway.  Subway because McDonald's hadn't yet graced good ole Mantua, Ohio. I was proud of my nerditude because joining choir, band, speech team, and drama (shut up, I know that's the perfect square of nerdity) got me out of town.  Because I had to hunt and kill my own opportunities for escape, I wonder what my drive would have been like at a school with more money and more built-in opportunity.  Let's hope that the kids lucky enough to attend Harbor High School on Governors Island absorb their special experience and don't toss it into the Hudson like an inedible oyster.

Last night The Governors Island Alliance celebrated the end of its summer season with a "Swing into Fall" shindig.  Leading up to the food and fun on the Water Taxi Beach was a VIP tour of the Harbor School under construction and the eco-dock.  And this is where I used my active listening skills and learned something. 

As the group briskly hustled towards the school, I eavesdropped.  Two people behind me were trading stories of kayaking in the Hudson while getting "buzzed" by NY Waterways boats, which I saw screaming by the beach a few times.  "Literally, missed me by  four feet!" claimed one guy, in that proud "I totally landed my parachute in a pinetree and lived to tell about it!" way that outdoorsy types share their war stories.  And that, my friends, is why I don't kayak in the Hudson.  That and, I don't kayak.

So listen: Harbor High School is going to be ridiculous.  The educational structure itself seems to focus on marine biology, agriculture, sustainability, and respect and honoring of the environment.  These kids are going to have a lobby with a huge aquarium that they will learn to maintain, they'll have an estuary garden to cultivate, their science/bio labs will look out on a boat-making workshop, their lunch view is the fricking Statue of Liberty.   I kid you not -- they're going to raise their own tilapia, shrimp, and oysters.  The jury's still out on whether or not those water creatures are for lunch.  Does this sound like a lot of food and yard waste piling up? Not a problem, they'll have their own compost heap which , according to Murray Fisher, co-founder and program director, Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, will runneth over, so if you want some awesome compost, come on back to the island in 2010.

What's with all the other buildings on Governors Island?  It's beautiful, they're antebellum gorgeous, but they're empty.   The downside is, even though some house gyms and tennis courts, they're legally unusable without a Certificate of Occupancy. The upside is, lots of creepy fun places for randy high schoolers to vet out as the ultimate make-out spot.  Oh come on, that's like PRIORITY ONE at that age.  Before hitting the beach in what turned out to be a chilly but not uncomfortable night, a few of the tour group, including me (obviously) hit the eco dock to check out the upwelling system and oysters at various stage of growth.

The beach party itself was pretty chill (pun unintentional, maybe), with the megaphone touting Stumblebum Brass Band puncturing the wind with it's peppy quirk. I would have  liked to see more support from New Yorkers because you know once Harbor High School gets profiled on PBS, NPR, "60 Minutes," and CBS' "Sunday Morning," everyone is going to come out of the woodwork trying to look like they had a part in it or wanting to attach themselves to its success in some way. 

I took some time to breathe and recognize where I was as I chomped on fries and a delicious full size hot dog with chili and cheese.  It's always a good kick in the butt to get outside of Manhattan and see it all lit up in the evening because when you're inside of it all, surrounded by the noise, the rush, the impatience, and the pizza, you can forget how beautiful it is and how luck you (you meaning me) are to live in a city of so many dreams in process.

Many thanks to Murray Fisher, co-founder and program director, Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, Jennifer Ostrow, Assistant Principal, Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, Robert Pirani, Executive Director, Governors Island Alliance, and Elizabeth Case, Program Director, Governors Island Alliance for sharing their expertise, time, and evening with their supporters, friends, and me.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to talk to my superiors at 21 Jump Street about my recon mission as a deep-cover high school student.

Waterfront photos and oysters are on Flickr !

I think the Governors Island Alliance and this site need to partner up and consolidate!