U.S. Navy Reserve Sailors and students from Baltimore's Digital Harbor High School participated in "Raising the Boom," June 2, aboard USS Constellation in the city's Inner Harbor.

As part of the Centennial Celebration of the Navy Reserve, 22 Sailors from Operational Support Unit (OSU) at Navy Operational Support Center Baltimore joined the students on the main deck of the ship to reattach two forward booms.

USS Constellation, the second United States vessel to carry the name, was commissioned in 1855. A century later, after serving around the world, it was moved to Baltimore.

The ship recently returned to its berth in the city's Inner Harbor after having major work done during the winter at a nearby Coast Guard shipyard. Prior to beginning the work, the booms, or poles located on the bottom edge of a fore and aft rigged sail, were removed.

Janet Caslow, the director of Port Fest Baltimore, helped organize the event to provide community relations opportunities during the Navy Reserve's 100th anniversary. She said when the opportunity to engage Sailors in the ship's reassembly presented itself, she acted.

"Raising the boom takes more than the average crew they have here," said Caslow. "It's also a learning experience for the students. They get to work side by side with Reservists and the crew from the ship."

Chris Rowsom, executive director of Historic Ships in Baltimore, coordinated the volunteers and the reassembly. He said it was a unique event.

"We had a job to do," he explained. "I think there's a way to do this, to make it easier for us, but also - hopefully - meaningful for the folks who were able to participate."

Cryptologic Technician (Networks) Seaman Daniel Lopezdevictoria, a Maryland native who joined the Navy Reserve in 2014, manned the lines on a pulley system to hoist the booms. He said participating was an incredible experience.

"This is my first AT (active training) and it's only my second day," he said. "Doing stuff like this is unexpected. It's rewarding because we get to learn about the history of the Navy and how life used to be, how it's changed and the journey the ship has been on since its creation."

Amanda Hayek, a world history teacher at Digital Harbor High School, said working alongside the Sailors helped her ninth grade students put their hands on history.

"History is sometimes hard to relate to. It's not like science where students can go into a lab and do an experiment to see how it's immediately applicable," she noted. "For these kids, this is what we've been studying all year. We've talked about how ships developed and how they've changed over time, so it's really interesting for me to see them interact with history in a way that they can't in the classroom."

Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Jones, officer in charge of the OSU, said watching his Sailors work together with the students and Constellation crew showed the value of community relations projects.

"It's fantastic," he emphasized. "You have the Sailors who have the opportunity to get out here in the community while providing a valuable service alongside the high schoolers who were out here. And it works both ways. The Sailors get to talk to the students and the students get to see how the Navy Reserve works. They see them taking time away from their civilian jobs to perform a service. They get to work side by side and learn about each other."