Shawn Merrill Jr., of Zionsville, was one of 14 students selected to sail the high seas for an educational journey on an historic schooner.

Merrill was able to join the summer crew of the Roseway by writing an essay and submitting in an application to the World Ocean School, Maine.

The students traveled from Boston to Nova Scotia stopping in Shelburne, Halifax and Lunenburg on a three-mast 137-foot sailboat built in 1925 as a fishing vessel.

The students, between the ages of 12 and 16, boarded the ship to learn about sailing, perform community service and make their home on a schooner for 20 days.

Merrill and the other students sang for senior citizens and people with disabilities, experienced different cultures by playing soccer with disadvantaged youth from Iraq, Iran, Cuba and Africa at a YMCA in Nova Scotia and helped build a lab designed to teach classes on standard computer use. The lab, named "The Roseway Computer Lab," will provide people in need with free computers after they successfully complete lessons on usage.

"Our time spent helping underprivileged people really stuck with me," Merrill said. "It is amazing to see what some people have to deal with on a daily basis."

He said the work in the computer lab was exciting because it could change someone's life for the better or give them a skill providing a means to get a job.

The students aboard the Roseway learned how to work together every step of the way. They sailed in a tall ship race while out on the open seas and even had a scare when a storm broke the top of a sail. The crew had to navigate the ship to port with two sails and have a carpenter create a custom repair piece.

Students learned the history of life on the high seas and were able to get a taste of the ocean air. The creaking wood and waves crashing against the hull lulled them to sleep each night and the lure of new excitement with each day enticed them out of their bunks.

The code of ethics, integrity and teamwork was present throughout the journey and the trip focused on fostering appreciation for community, relationships and a love for the sea.