A documentary and narrative film about the Blackstone River Watershed from Worcester, Massachusetts, to Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island.  Created by middle-school-aged students in Touchstone Community School's Older Student Program in Grafton, Massachusetts.

Voyage to the Sea consists of a story, The Blackstone Watershed Relay, and four supporting documentaries investigating water and watersheds that form Touchstone Community School's pathway to the sea. All parts of the video were researched, written, acted, taped and edited by Touchstone students. Each student participated in every aspect of the production, working under the guidance of filmmaker-in-residence Veda C. Reilley.

Voyage to the Sea integrates curriculum in science and technology, history and social studies, language arts, and the arts. Click here for connections to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks

To order a copy of the DVD Voyage to the Sea  The DVD is $15 (includes postage and handling)

The Blackstone Watershed Relay
 
For our story, students invented a fictional organization, the Watershed Protection Association, which sponsors The Blackstone Watershed Relay. Teams of students from schools all over the watershed are given a series of challenges: to learn about both science and history, and also to improve the impact of humans on the watershed's environment.

In the first chapter, members of Touchstone's Green Team, challenged to learn about two wetland habitats in and near Miscoe Brook, explore a beaver pond and a vernal pool. The Blue Team becomes concerned about runoff problems from a new housing development near the brook. Both teams get help from Donna Williams, the Massachusetts Audubon Society water quality advocate.

In the second chapter, Green Team members investigate aquatic plants in the West River and learn about problems with invasive non-native aquatic plants. Blue Team members trace the history of transportation on, over and near the Blackstone River, with help from ranger Val Stegemoen at the Blackstone River and Canal State Park, and ranger Kevin Klyberg, from the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. Both teams begin to think about the comparison between plant adaptations and human inventions and innovations.
 

Documentaries
 
The documentary sections of Voyage to the Sea include a series of mini-documentaries created by teams of Touchstone students, clustered around four topics.   

Documentary One introduces the importance of water in our lives and the scarcity of fresh water on earth, and describes the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.	Documentary Two looks at the water supply system, with visits to a drinking water treatment plant and a waste water treatment facility, and an additional section about water conservation.
Documentary Three explores ways humans have harnessed water's power, looking at water wheels, gear and pulley systems, and hydroelectric power, including a factory that uses the power of the Blackstone River.	Documentary Four explores life in early industrial America from the point of view of mill and factory owners and workers. The segment looks at changes in the landscape and the life of New England brought by the industrial revolution.

Voyage to the Sea - Credits
 
Voyage to the Sea was researched, written, acted, taped and edited by the following students:
Alexandra Cornacchia, Marissa Cutrona, Emily Finn, Kayla Garlick, Max Greenberg, Gary Howard, Troy Hutchinson, Sarah Kalinowski, Ethan Keller, Colton King, Angelina Kunkel, Thomas Kunkel, Evan LaBrie, Eli Lurie, Duncan MacDougall, Matthew Mariner, Sara Miller, Alex Olinger, Elizabeth Ranzo, Sam Silverman, Molly Shea, Oren Shoemaker, Dana Spencer, Gabriel Stahl, Matthew Swinton, Russell Swinton, Owen Tracey, Menka Vansant, Dakota Williar-Marcone, Meagan Wright

Veda C. Reilley, Artist in Residence
Polly Brown and Katy Aborn, Classroom Teachers

The Voyage to the Sea soundtrack was composed and performed by Touchstone Community School students with Wendy Damoulakis, Music Teacher.

Voyage to the Sea was made possible by generous support from individuals, families, and the following organizations:
Massachusetts Cultural Council / Creative Schools Program
Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation
Charter Communications
Grafton Land Trust
Touchstone Community School Board of Directors
Dick Zajchowski, Head of School 04 - 05
Steve Danenberg, Head of School 05 - 06
 
We appreciate assistance from these organizations:
Amoskeag Fishways, Manchester, NH
Amoskeag Hydroelectric Plant, Manchester, NH
Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park, River Bend Farm, Uxbridge, MA
Blackstone River Coalition
Blackstone River Watershed Association
Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation
Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary / Massachusetts Audubon
Camp Harrington / Worcester YMCA
Campaign for a Fishable / Swimmable Blackstone River in 2015
Captain Wilbur Kelly House Museum, Lincoln, RI
Grafton Public Access Television
Grafton Water District, Grafton, MA
John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
Lowell National Historical Park and Tsongas Industrial History Center, Lowell, MA
Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation and Recreation
Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection
Mass Highway Cultural Resources Unit
Millville Historical Commission
Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA
Riverdale Mills, Northbridge, MA
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, West Hill Dam, Uxbridge, MA
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District, Millbury, MA
Upton Conservation Commission