Pool session 3/13/11

On January 15, The Schooba Academy launched its pilot program.  On March 13, it went out with a bang.  For their last event of the course, the Schoobents got back in pool to test their wits at some underwater science!  (All underwater photos courtesy of Oceanblue Divers.  Thank you!)

The mile long walk from the L train ain't no thang for The Schooba Academy.

Again, we did our training at Waterside Plaza with Oceanblue Divers.

We took a short detour to bask in the sights, sounds, and smells of the glorious East River.

We got to the pool and began gearing up.

Lassana and Rodney gearing up.

Some more gearing up

The scene upon arrival.

Matt, taking in the Schooba scene.

There was a quick refresher course, and we were all set to go!

Big thanks to JW for coming down and helping out both in and out of the water.

"Hey Zach, can you help me out. Please hurry up because I want to go scuba diving so bad. Schooba rules." - Rolman

"Now that's more like it." - Rolman

Once underwater, some science was in order.

The classic Cartesian diver experiment, not so classic anymore.

"Yo, that's crazy. Let me see that! ...Science rules!" - Rolman

"What are you guys so excited about? Hold on, I don't want to miss any science. I'm coming over." - Lassana

"Hold your horses. I'm coming. This underwater world is new to me." - Lassana

"Ok, I made it. Now, let's see what all the fuss is about." - Lassana

"Oh, no way! Science underwater!! Now, that's cool. No, I won't give it back yet. Not until I experiment with it for a while." - Lassana

Lassana experimenting underwater.

We then turned our science experiment into a football and invented a new sport!  …All the while investigating the amazing properties of water.

Juan examining hydrodynamics.

Rolman doing exactly the same.

The pool was our playground inside of a classroom.  We scuba’d, we science’d, and we had a whole lot of fun.  A few more shots from the day:

Rodney surfacing after his first experience underwater. ... He didn't stay for very long.

Me chillin' with the dudes underwater.

Rolman cleaning up after his science experiment did not go as planned. (It's a balloon.)

Lassana, feeling right at home.

Group shot before our departure.

Big thanks to Oceanblue Divers and all who came down and helped out.  More to come soon, so stay with the tune!

Schooba Materials

I’ve begun to gather the materials for the course.  These came in the other day.  …Might regret this experiment.

What an invention.

Other materials include:

Balloons, String, Rulers, Toothpicks, Tape, Syringes, SCUBA equipment, Ziploc bags, Triple beam balance, Scale balance, Cups, Measuring cup, Salt, Stirrers, Tubs, Seltzer, Raisins, Variety of sodas, Eggs, Lemons, Limes, DarkFin Gloves, Bulb baster, Saran wrap, Bowls, Underwater Frisbee, and more!

Help kids break Stink Bombs productively!!

The Academy rings the bell!

Last night The Schooba Academy made its first ever appearance at the illustrious Explorer’s Club.  Set amidst the quaint brownstones of the Upper East Side, the EC headquarters is a gathering place for some of the world’s greatest explorers.  Among the club members’ many accomplishments are: first to the North Pole, first to the South Pole, first to the summit of Mt. Everest, first to the deepest point in the ocean, and first to the moon.  Not extraordinary at the club, you might find your Average Joe sharing good cheese and conversation with a swashbuckler of world fame.

Last night, I went to listen to Jarrod Jablonski and Casey McKinlay speak about their adventures exploring some of the largest underwater cave systems in the world.  As tradition, transition from the cocktail hour into the lecture hall is signaled by the ringing of the famous Explorer’s Club bell.  And as fate would have it, last night, that honor fell on moi.  I thought I’d capture my 15 minutes via my camera phone, and I quickly handed it off to the gentleman next to me in tweed … which turned out to be a bad choice.

my memento for the evening

Help The Schooba Academy support a generation of adventurers with camera phone operating capabilities!