Academy Blog

One time when we were in Durban, we arranged a field trip to uShaka Beach for the 6-12th graders. It is a very long beach waterfront. A couple of teachers went down first and inquired about renting bicycles, then went along the beach walkway to find ideas for a...

During one of our annual shipyards in Durban, South Africa, many of our crew were at housed at an empty college campus at Applesbosch, in the hills of Kwa Zulu Natal. The Academy had a Scottish Physical Education (PE) teacher who saw the space and gym at the campus...

As a teenager, I had everything I wanted in my room, like my guitars, clothes, and electronic gadgets. However, everything changed in those two months when my parents decided to leave everything behind and to work as missionaries on a hospital ship in Africa. After...

We’re thrilled to share the fantastic news that Andre Samaraweera, a former student in the Mercy Ships Academy, has been selected to win a National Merit Scholarship! Andre was a student in the Academy from August 2007 to June 2017, Starting in Preschool through...

Being a part of Mercy Ships Academy is something that is so unique and special.  Your students become like family.  You see them every day and watch them grow and develop both in knowledge, and in their faith.   I served as a French teacher for the 2018-2019 school...

Part 1 – The Sail to Durban, South Africa It would take a few weeks to sail from West Africa to Durban, South Africa, where the Africa Mercy was scheduled for a major refit. The students were excited! They knew we would have to be taken off the ship, for...

If “A perk of going to school on a hospital ship is the fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime type field-trips we get to take! This past week is a perfect example! The teachers were batting around field-trip ideas a few weeks ago and our 4th/5th grade teacher, Miss Emilie,...

The idea of our Student Life Program started in 2009 when I was having a conversation with a parent about how surprised she was that her teenager did not know how to use a can opener. Our Mercy Ships kids have amazing opportunities to see the world and experience...

One of the coolest perks of teaching onboard a hospital ship is the FIELD TRIPS!  We have the most incredible departments and crew onboard who are often willing to open their spaces to us little ones and teach us what is going on around the ship. It can often be...