News Feature
Originally published in
Island Ad-Vantages, December 6, 2018
DISHS senior tackles lobster boat simulation project
Deer Isle-Stonington high school senior Caleb Hardie explains what he plans to do to turn the shell of a lobster boat simulator into a fully functioning training tool.
by Monique Labbe
Deer Isle-Stonington High School senior Caleb Hardie has taken on an ambitious project as a member of the Eastern Maine Skippers Program. By the end of the school year, it is his hope to have completed a lobster boat simulator in the Skipper’s Shop, a project that was abandoned by students nearly a decade ago.
The shell of the simulator, which is currently not much more than a wooden outline with a steering wheel and a handful of disconnected wires, piqued Hardie’s interest, and he launched himself head first into the project at the beginning of the school year.
“I’m interested in electrical work, and I thought it would be interesting to get into the simulator and finish what had been started,” said Hardie, who was accepted into the electrical program at Washington County Community College for the 2019 fall semester.
Hardie has visited the simulation classrooms at Maine Maritime Academy several times already this year, and through conversations with teachers there has come up with the design he is hoping to put into his simulator. While the simulation classrooms at the academy cost upwards of $1 million dollars, Hardie said he is aiming to raise $10,000 to complete his.
“Right now I can’t do much else [other than the design] until we have the money we need, and the parts,” said Hardie, who is also in need of things such as old computer towers, television screens and other electronic devices.
Hardie has applied for some grants and put out an advertisement in the November 29 edition of the Island Ad-Vantages in hopes of getting some community donations.
“This can be used outside of the Skippers program for people in the community to get training on how to run a lobster boat,” said Hardie.
Kim Larsen, who retired as an English teacher from the school two years ago, has recently come on as an educational consultant to the Skippers program, as longtime teacher Tom Duym left the school at the end of the 2017-18 school year. Larsen has been busy helping Hardie get the word about his project out to the community, and said that while many students only participate in the program for one semester, Hardie will stay on throughout the year to finish his project.
“[Hardie] has been working very hard. This isn’t an easy undertaking for a student,” said Larsen. “This is a big project, but when he completes it, it will be beneficial to so many other students and people in the community.”
Hardie said he is also using this project as his senior exhibition, a project each outgoing senior student needs to complete and present at the end of the year.
Those interested in giving monetary donations, as well as donated parts, can contact Hardie at caleb.hardie@dishs.org, or Larsen at klarsen@dishs.org.
