Ship-schooled youth sails to top academic scores

Eureka Springs local Cian Flavin, 17, son of Abraham Phillips and Susan Phillips-Flavin, was awarded a plaque for having the fifth highest General Educational Development test score in Arkansas out of 2,715 graduates. Cian had an unusual educational path, having been ship schooled while living aboard a sailboat with his parents and sister, Saoirse, for eight years.

The top 25 achievers were celebrated at the State Capitol on April 19 by dignitaries including Sen. Jane English, chair of the state education committee. Cian also placed in the top 10 percent of students at the Northwest Arkansas Community College for grades and inducted into the Beta Kappa Psi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

Cian tested out of high school by passing the GED at 16, and is on track to graduate with an Associates of Science Degree by age 18 from NWACC. He plans to double major in physics and engineering at University of Arkansas and then Trinity College of Dublin, Ireland.

His father guided most of his online and book education during those years, and sailing was its own teacher.

“Cian learned all about sailing and had his own small vessel to train on,” Abraham said. “He was in full command of a 28-ton ship while the entire crew slept when he was fourteen. It is common for cruising families to give their children serious responsibilities at sea. He would hold watch for hours at a time as we slept close to the cockpit in case dangerous squalls or situations on the radar came up. Our watches at sea were four hours for Cian, then my wife, then me in rotation. Our longest passage was 34 days at sea.”

Cian’s experiences on the ocean taught him to work through exhaustion from having to deal with unexpected storms, likened to boot camp in the military.

“He learned to work with a team where, if one member failed, it put the whole team and the boat in jeopardy,” Abraham said. “He learned to work through stressful situations better. He learned the importance of attention to detail in that it could lead to severe danger if not paid attention to.”

There were no regular school hours for Cian and Saoirse. Percentages were all that mattered. Cian was responsible for his studies and his time.

“On average Cian would get three to five percent of a year’s IXL.com (an online testing program) subject’s study and testing done in one day,” Abraham said. “Parental disciplining regarding studies only came into the picture if he did not meet the agreed upon percentages the day before. This was rarely the case. Had we not sailed so much he would have easily graduated high school at age fourteen.

“Unfortunately, internet connection is a major issue at sea, so we often focused simply on sailing and ship training while on passage. Cian’s goals and hard work and study methods are of his own creation and suited to his personal style. He was given the freedom to create his own study methods and using this approach got excellent results. It made him highly independent of parental direction. Even though he is under eighteen, he is almost entirely his own man at this stage and, as parents, this makes us happy and hopeful for his future.

“The end goal that I set for his high school was testing at 100 percent in all subjects in IXL.com. Cian literally had nothing else that IXL could test him on by the time he took his graduation course.”

When the family moved off the ship to relocate in Eureka Springs two years ago, they considered enrolling him at the Eureka Springs High School. But he had already tested out at 100 percent on all IXL.com subjects at age 15. His parents were concerned he would be bored with redundant high school classes, so Cian enrolled in NWACC to gain early college credits.

Cian plans on getting a quantum physics degree, with sights toward a PhD, along with a compatible engineering degree for employment marketability. He hopes to parlay these degrees into creating new discoveries and inventions in physics.

Cian has the benefit of having American and Irish citizenship along with having his mother’s family living in Dublin, Ireland. He’s excited about the prospect of attending the same university in Dublin that his mother attended and being close to his Irish relatives.

Like many other teenagers, Cian enjoys playing video games. But those are limited.

“I encourage Cian to take a break and play a game he loves any time he gets frustrated,” Abraham said. “It psychologically gives him a small victory which creates a mental habit he carries back into his studies and work. For us as parents, video games were simply a motivating reward for his hard work.

“He’s done a great job, he’s headed in a direction that will help the world.”