(peaceful music) - Is this related to what's around it?

- [Pamela] Tonight, a Central Falls educator's rise from homelessness to White House recognition.

♪ And all I ask is a tall ship ♪ ♪ And a star to steer her by ♪ (bell ringing) - [Pamela] And singing the praises of educational programs aboard Rhode Island's tall ship.

Then, the alpacas of Little Compton.

(inspiring music) (inspiring music continues) - Good evening.

Welcome to "Rhode Island PBS Weekly."

I'm Anaridis Rodriguez.

- And I'm Pamela Watts.

Tonight we begin with an inspiring story out Central Falls.

- Four decades ago, teacher David Upegui was just a boy when he became homeless in the war and torn country he was born.

Today he's an accomplished educator lauded by the White House.

Although he's proud of the attention he's received, it's not what drives him.

In 2023, Michelle San Miguel spent time in his classroom where he showed us what motivates him.

- [Michelle] It's become his second home.

(bell ringing) - Thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

- Good afternoon.

- [Michelle] Nearly 20 years after David Upegui graduated from Central Falls High School, he returned to his alma mater to teach science.

- But before we do, let me ask a question, Krista.

- They have a very unusual eye color.

Could that be related?

- Yeah.

You guys remember when we talked about people that have jaundice?

Could this is related to jaundice?

- [Michelle] His medical interventions class is a favorite among students.

- Oh, is this something that's progressively getting worse?

Is this some kind of progressive disease?

Good question.

- [Michelle] He begins each class by showing them a picture of a medical phenomenon and has students ask questions about it to try to figure out what caused it.

- Is this related to what's around it?

Good.

Let me go right across here.

- Is this person in a coma?

- Can this person see?

- Are they dead?

- [David] Are they dead?

- [Michelle] After 10 minutes of nonstop questions, he reveals to students what they're looking at.

- But here's what happened, this was a punch to the head that caused this man in Austria to actually have a star.

- [Michelle] He says it's an exercise in getting students comfortable with asking medical questions.

- When students ask questions, it is a way to recognize that they're engaged, but that they're also thinking deeper.

- [Michelle] Upegui wants his students to be problem solvers.

That mindset informs how he teaches.

- Just so you know, you have eight weeks left of school.

- [Student] Yay!

- What would you say is your teaching philosophy?

- My approach is that in front of me are the future stewards of the earth.

They are going to inherit an earth, a planet that is hotter than it's ever, you know, than it's been since humans have been around.

It's an overpopulated planet, a planet with political turmoil, with wars, with famine, with huge ecological issues that need to be addressed.

I see what I do as empowering these children to solve those issues because whether we like it or not, that's the planet they're getting.

How do we represent that if we're doing Mendelian problems?

- [Michelle] Upegui has received numerous educational accolades, including the outstanding biology teacher award for Rhode Island and the Presidential award for excellence in mathematics and science teaching.

But teaching wasn't the career path he initially envisioned.

- I went to school for biology and psychology, but the universe figured out a way to bring me here back to the same classroom where I stood and learned as a student.

- [Michelle] His interest in education began after his oldest son, Isaac, was born with Down Syndrome.

- And I thought, I need to take a class in education so I can help this young man have a fighting chance.

I know very little about our public school system and I know very little about special needs and learning.

So I took one class and one became two, two became four.

Next thing you know, I'm sitting with a teaching certificate.

- [Michelle] In 2010, he was working as a data manager at Brown University when he heard that all of the teachers at Central Falls High School had been fired, the news quickly spread across the country.

- Just last night after the kids in one school kept falling behind, the teachers were fired.

- [Newscaster] All 74 teachers at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island were called out by name and fired.

- [Michelle] Upegui decided to leave his well paying job at Brown University and pursue a career in teaching.

- My pay cut was about $35,000 a year.

And I still, even 13 years in, I still don't make what I was making when I left there.

- Any regrets about that?

- Not at all.

None at all.

Heterozygous and hetero means different.

- [Michelle] He says his job as a teacher is to help students realize their potential.

- And one of the things that I always tell my students is the universe is not stingy with talent.

We can make the world better.

We can not only learn from it, but we can change it, we can manipulate it and create a society that's more fair, more just, more equitable.

A parent that doesn't have a dominant can't pass the dominant.

- [Michelle] And students say Upegui walks the walk, giving them opportunities they otherwise wouldn't have had.

- I did participate in a week of medical school at Brown and that was an opportunity he opened up to me and that was an experience where I got to learn from doctors and students from the Brown Medical School.

- I feel like in that class I can really get out of my comfort zone and like, speak up in class and like, with him it's like there's nothing you can't do and I feel like you really need that.

You really need that optimism.

- Even if it's hard, you can do it.

You can do it.

Take your time.

- [Michelle] Students in Central Falls or CF as they call it, are quick to point out Upegui has taught them a lot more than science.

- He makes it fun to be honest, I don't know if you guys would agree on that.

- Like if you're panicked, he like knows to like make you calm and stuff and like not to worry about anything.

- Yeah, like he's not gonna sit there and just talk the whole time and you're just there waiting for him to finish, whatever.

Like, he makes it like engaging.

- You guys got this.

- It's that engaging approach and his ability to relate to others that students say sets Upegui apart as an educator.

- [David] So, what I wanna do is I'm gonna give you about five minutes, work collaboratively to do page one and two and we'll stop right there.

- For many of the students in your classroom, you know what they faced because you faced it when you were that age.

- Absolutely.

- How does your own upbringing inform how you teach?

- They understand that I'm from CF.

I know what it was like to have those challenges.

And if you had asked any of us in 1993 when I graduated, what do you wanna do?

I think the answer would've been get out of CF.

But what we were really saying was not, I want to get outta CF, what we were really saying and we didn't know how to pose it, which is, I don't wanna be poor anymore.

- [Michelle] Upegui was born in Columbia.

He remembers watching the violence unleashed by drug cartels in the '80s.

His parents divorced when he was young and soon after his mom, a teacher, lost her job.

He found himself homeless as a child.

- One of the first real memories that I have is sleeping on the floor of a bus station.

And my older sister, who's always been my rock, not letting me sleep on the actual floor, but sleeping on her.

- [Michelle] His own upbringing has made him well aware of the struggles of others.

He knows some of his students are homeless, he buys snacks for them every week.

But it reminds him of a promise he made to a mentor before he became a teacher.

- Promise me that you won't take the work home with you, you do what you can, but you can't lose yourself in the midst of it.

When you turn the lights off in the classroom, leave the things there.

You can't solve everything for everybody.

(trumpet blaring) - [Michelle] It's one of the many reasons why music has been healing for Upegui.

He sings and plays the trumpet for his band, Infusion Evolution.

He describes it as a mix of Afro-Cuban, flamenco and jazz.

(David singing in foreign language) Our music has sort of a rhythmic pattern that allows for people to sway and and move.

(shaker rattling) When people are tapping or moving or nodding their head, that's when you know it's working.

(upbeat music) (David singing in foreign language) - [Michelle] He encourages students to pursue hobbies outside of school.

- I've been really blessed to play music with these gifted musicians and I get to just enjoy their company.

And we tell dad jokes and we play music.

We get to create.

So that outlet has been tremendously important for me because it's oftentimes that one part of my life where I can be completely creative without the constraints of systems.

- [Michelle] But even in the classroom, he's found ways to be innovative.

He started the school's Science Olympiad team and is the first person to teach AP biology there.

- This is the evidence wall.

When I tell my students you can do I say, yeah, here's evidence, right?

- [Michelle] The front of his classroom is filled with photos of every AP biology class he's taught.

- Maria Jose Escobar who went to Tufts.

This is Ara Hernandez who works for Save the Bay.

- [Michelle] Every picture tells a story.

- This is this year.

So this is my period two class right here.

Yeah, these kids are great.

So many of them.

- [Michelle] Over the years Upegui has shared countless stories with his students, but he says it was a story about how he finds purpose in them that left a lasting impression on one particular student.

- And then she went on to say that, I want you to know that the day you told that story, I was going home to end my life, but I didn't because of you and you saved my life and countless other people's lives.

You just don't know it.

And I thought, wow!

It was just one of those times where I thought, yeah, nevermind the $35,000 a year that I got here, that I got less.

You know, nevermind the long hours, nevermind because that was worth it, right?

Being able to see a human being and for them to recognize that they belong, that was just powerful.

- Up next, a different sort of classroom floating on Narragansett Bay.

Last October we traveled with Rhode Island's dashing ambassador, a tall ship where students learn at sea.

- [Jonathan] I'm hard pressed to find anybody that is not captivated by her power, her beauty.

When we show up somewhere, people take note.

She is breathtaking.

We get to sail on the waters of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound, where the sailing is often spectacular.

The views are magnificent.

- [Pamela] Captain Jonathan Kabak commands Rhode Island's tall ship, the Oliver Hazard Perry.

And that's not all, Kabak is a man of many talents.

♪ I must go down to the seas again ♪ ♪ To the lonely sea and the sky ♪ - [Pamela] While the lyrics of this song are taken from the 1901 poem, "Sea Fever."

♪ And all I ask is a tall ship ♪ ♪ And a star to steer her by ♪ - [Pamela] Captain Kabak could well be singing the praises of taking the helm of this 1800 style tall ship.

It is the largest regularly operating civilian sail training vessel in the United States.

- Rhode Island's flagship stands proud at 131 feet tall.

She's 200 feet tip to tip or sparred length we like to say, and about 135 feet on deck.

- [Pamela] Add to that three masts, 20 sails and seven miles of rigging.

This is the official maritime ambassador for Rhode Island home port, Fort Adams, Newport.

- So one of the things that makes this ship so interesting is what looks old on the outside is usually thoroughly modern on the inside.

(gentle music) - [Pamela] Rhode Island's tall ship was christened in honor of South Kingstown native son, Commodore Oliver Hazzard Perry, naval hero of the Battle of Lake Erie in the war of 1812.

His monument in Newport's Eisenhower Park looks west to the harbor, emblazoned with the famous quote from Perry to his fleet commander after the victory.

"We have met the enemy and they are ours."

Oliver Hazzard Perry's namesake was launched in 2015.

It was inspired by tall ships from around the world sailing to Newport 76 for the bicentennial.

- Out of that came an opportunity to create an organization called Tall Ships Rhode Island, which worked to put young people on tall ships for character building experiences at sea.

(bell ringing) - [Pamela] The ring of the ship's bell could also double as a school bell.

The Oliver Hazard Perry has now embarked on an educational voyage, serving as a floating classroom for Rhode Island High School students.

- So welcome aboard the Oliver Hazard Perry.

- [Pamela] Captain Kabak says it's about forging a bond with the sea.

He calls the program Ocean Access.

A chance to learn about the boundless opportunities beyond recreational sailing.

- In order to build resilient communities, you need great careers.

So part of our portfolio of programs are workforce development programs for the maritime industry, the marine trade and the defense sector, all of which are are key industries here in Rhode Island that support our economic growth.

- [Pamela] Growing as a person is also part of the curriculum.

- One of the things that we like to say aboard this ship is that you should feel empowered to be the best version of yourself here.

- [Pamela] Some Rhode Island 9th graders spend a day on the bay.

Others, such as these students from the Met School engage in two day sessions for 11 weeks, learning the ropes.

- Hands to set the mainstay's hull!

- [Students] Hands to set the mainstay's hull!

(pulleys clanging) - From bow to stern, from the keel all the way to the masthead, 131 feet in the air, our students participate in every aspect of the operation of the ship.

So they learn how to handle lines, they learn how to work the engine controls, they learn how to help out in the galley.

They set the sails.

They learn a little bit about marine navigation.

They learn the history of the bay.

(ship door bangs) - [Pamela] This is the second tour of duty for 15-year-old Serenity Cooper.

She enjoyed the program so much last year she signed on for another hitch.

- This experience has been like, it's been life changing, actually.

We learned quite a bit about physics as well.

I learned a lot more about the water, like its currents.

Star 436, 35 gallons.

- [Pamela] Cooper says she discovered a knack for working in the engine room and wants a seafaring career.

- I really just wanna like sail around and just figure out ways to help others.

- [Pamela] Roselyn Lopez-Morales describes her experience as an eyeopener.

- It's definitely brought me out my shell a lot.

- [Pamela] Lopez-Morales, who is a senior is already charting her future course.

- I'm interested in attending Main Maritime Academy where I want to do their program with vessel operations and technology, which is basically learning about navigation.

- [Pamela] But the biggest lesson for students.

- Understanding that there is no ocean state without their connectivity to the ocean.

And the opportunities that we offer and the programs, the experiences are really a conduit for Rhode Islanders to build a profound, meaningful connection to the sea, and in turn become better stewards.

- [Pamela] Captain Kabak says it takes all hands on deck.

A crew pulling together to keep the Oliver Hazard Perry ship shape.

- When you are shoulder to shoulder, 100 feet in the air with somebody you may not know, you may not share the same background with, but you come away with a pretty profound understanding that you are intrinsically linked to each other.

- The captain says that deep connection to the sea and each other is something he stresses to tourists, volunteers, and those who attend the adult workforce development programs.

Captain, what is it you want people to come away with most of all?

- I like to say people come for the pirate ship and stay for the opportunities.

The focus is to really share with people that it's not just a pretty picture.

That it's not just a historical relic, but rather the ship and the opportunities that we offer aboard are really consistent with the 21st century and where we as a community in Rhode Island are going.

- Finally tonight, we revisit a story that Michelle San Miguel brought us about a farm in Little Compton that's home to a herd of alpacas.

The animals are native to South America, not New England.

Still, the couple who's raising them has found a unique way to pay tribute to the ocean state.

- It's satisfying knowing that you have something to take care of besides yourself.

- [Michelle] Nestled near the coast of Rhode Island sits Hope alpaca farm in Little Compton, home to a large herd of these gentle and social animals.

(hay rustles) Bill Ryan and his wife Hope opened the farm in 2017.

He says they hadn't had any animals here for more than 25 years and wanted to change that.

- We were driving up in Vermont on a vacation and we went by an alpaca farm and she goes, "Well, let's raise alpacas."

And then a year later, I had six of them.

(Bill laughs) - [Michelle] At the time, what did you know about alpacas?

- Nothing.

Not a thing.

- [Michelle] The learning curve was small for Bill Ryan.

He says, Wicia alpacas, native of the Andes Mountains in South America are easy to raise.

They have soft padded feet, so they're gentle on pastures.

- They like second cut hay, which we buy out of New York 'cause it's very hard to make hay here.

And there's no seed in it.

And no kind of like grass sticks.

We do give 'em grain once a day and we graze 'em out in the fields out here.

- [Michelle] The farm started with six alpacas and has grown to 20, ranging in color from white and gray to brown and black.

- You do have to have at least three because they're a very social animal with the herd.

They're a pack, you know, a pack animal in the, they like each other even though they spit at each other.

(Bill laughs) - I quickly discovered these alpacas, which can average between 100 to 200 pounds, each have a unique personality.

Oh my goodness, you're so calm.

Hi!

Hi!

Oh, you don't wanna be touched.

- No, she's- - Can I touch you?

Nope, don't wanna be touched.

You wanna smell me?

Hi.

(Michelle blowing kisses) Oh, sorry.

Okay.

- But she's very, she's very gentle.

- Was it something I said?

Alpacas are known for their fiber.

It's hypoallergenic and Ryan says it's less irritating on the skin than a sheep's wool.

- It's funny, you know, if you've ever worn wool and gotten it wet, it can itch on certain people.

You know, certain people don't, you know, it irritates them.

And it's funny, a lot of diabetics wear their socks because it's a lot more smoother on their feet.

- [Michelle] The alpacas are shorn once a year before the summer.

The Ryan's then bring the fiber to a processing service in Fall River.

In return, they receive credits for products they sell in their farm store, including hats and gloves made from US grown alpacas.

- These two have been born here and this one's Meta Comet.

And then we named this fellow here, Blackstone, for the Blackstone River.

- [Michelle] All of the baby alpacas, known as CREs born on the farm are given Rhode Island based names like Richmond and Prudence.

- This is Bristol.

She's one of my favorites.

- Why?

- Well, because I did help her come out when she was born.

Yeah, her foot was stuck.

- Wow.

- So I had to get a foot out from her.

- [Michelle] Ryan says it was important for him and his wife, both native Rhode Islanders to name the alpacas with the ocean state in mind.

- My wife is an old Rhode Islander and her family goes back to Roger Williams.

And we just thought with the theme that we do something like in Rhode Island, you know, it's a proud place to live.

I love living here.

I mean, we're kind of off the beaten pad of the main Rhode Island, but we love it.

(rake scraping) - [Michelle] The 20 acre farm has been in Bill Ryan's family since the late 1800's.

The family hosts open house events and offers private tours.

Ryan recalls one memorable visitor.

- So we had this child and he was in a wheelchair and he couldn't move his hands that much.

And he was, he was, you know, active.

But, so I finally just took him in a pen in his wheelchair and I dumped grain on his lap and they all came in and they were all in his face.

And this kid, I'll never forget it, and he was just so happy.

- Do you have moments where you come out here at night and just sit in awe of this land?

- Yes, I have moments of you go out here and you ponder, sit on a stone wall and just take it in.

Take the moment in.

- [Michelle] Ryan says he and his wife are passionate about sharing this alpaca haven with others.

- It's something that we're very lucky to have.

And when you're lucky enough to have things like this, you have to share it.

- That's our broadcast this evening.

Thank you for joining us.

I'm Anaridis Rodriguez.

- And I'm Pamela Watts.

We'll be back next week with another edition of "Rhode Island PBS Weekly."

And you can now listen to our entire broadcast every Monday night at 7:00 on the Publix radio.

Also, don't forget to follow us on Facebook and YouTube.

You can visit us online too to see all of our stories and past episodes ripbs.org/weekly, or listen to our podcast on your favorite streaming platform.

Goodnight.

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