The Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass., found an opportunity to pair NIE with an annual bay area event. Each year, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy training ship, The Patriot State, sets out on a training cruise.
Cadets receive hands-on instruction during what s called the sea term.
Since many of the MMA cadets are from the Cape Cod area, coverage of the cruise provides a local angle. There s beauty in the simplicity of the matchup, said Jean Bessette, educational services director. In 1998, the Cape Cod Times sent a reporter and photographer to join the cadets for the first two weeks of the 55-day cruise to Panama. This type of serialized storyline provides engaging NIE material, Bessette said. The program offered to classes allowed students to plot the ship s progress on a wall map.