Rich Firato embarks on a new adventure :
A treasure map for learning at Morgan ' s Cove
by Crystal Han / Photos by Morgan ' s Cove and gmhTODAY
From the moment Rich Firato built Morgan ’ s Cove , a pirate island in his backyard , complete with a life-sized pirate ship , he knew he was in for the voyage of a lifetime , but he wasn ’ t sure where it would take him . He dreamed of leaving a legacy as fascinating as the pirates themselves , but the path ahead seemed murky . Now that Morgan ’ s Cove has officially become a non-profit , he can see that dream clearly on the horizon .
Since its inception , Morgan ’ s Cove has always been a fun place for people to come learn about pirates and explorers . It has been featured on the Disney Plus show The World According to Jeff Goldblum , where Firato and his crew made Goldblum an honorary pirate , and it has hosted countless fundraisers and tours for children and adults . As thrilling as these things have been , Firato was always asking how he could make more of an impact with this island tucked away in his backyard .
While Firato was pondering this , educators have been asking themselves how they can get more kids engaged in learning . It ’ s no secret that student education took a huge hit in the wake of the pandemic , especially with school funded outdoor learning . Despite a plethora of research showing that activities outside the classroom , such as physical education and field trips , boost children ’ s capacity for self-directed learning , task completion , and social connections , these fields remain underfunded .
With help from Ron Locicero , a former high school teacher for the San Jose East Side school district , and Armando Garcia , a Chamber of Commerce board member with years of nonprofit experience , Firato created the Morgan ’ s Cove Foundation to help bridge the gap in outdoor learning . Schools can bring their fourth and fifth grade classes to Morgan ’ s Cove , where , with the help of volunteers from the American Association of University Women , they journey through Morgan Hill ’ s history . “ The teachers love it because we ’ re taking the workload off them . They don ’ t have to develop a curriculum ; we ’ ve already done that . They just have to show up and they get educational credit for it . So everybody ’ s winning because of Rich ’ s vision ,” Garcia said .
Firato still leads the tour dressed as a pirate , transporting the children back to 1715 ’ s Golden Age of Piracy and regaling them with tales of the Spanish Treasure Fleet that sunk off the coast of Florida in a hurricane . Although the real treasure was lost at sea , with bits and pieces of it washing ashore after subsequent storms , Firato made true-to-life replicas of the treasure that children can see and hold for themselves .
All of this , Firato describes as eye candy to get the kids imaginations and curiosity piqued . Once that happens , they ’ re like little sponges , eager to soak up everything Firato shows them . “ The children literally block out all of the adults except for the pirate ,” Locicero said .
26 SUMMER 2024 gmhTODAY Magazine : Go . Make history ... gmhtoday . com