Today was the first formal day of The Island School.  Our day began at 6:30 am; students had to meet in morning circle around the flag, where as Caciques Helen and I did count off, announcements, and led the group in singing the national anthem. After that we took a short jog to boys dorm beach where we circled up once more to do some IS jumping jacks, followed by putting on snorkels and masks, and plunging into the icy water (it has been colder than usual, so this required extra wits). Tthe group did some underwater exploration, and swam out into about 6 feet of water to see a boat wreck, where we observed several different species of fish, including a small nurse shark. After snorkeling we had breakfast and broke into our advisories to complete the “Where are we” project in which we used maps and charts in different rooms to answer different questions. Following that we had lunch.  After lunch
we met in the boathouse and were given our placebooks, notebooks we will use throughout the semester to record thoughts and take notes. At 2:00 we departed for our community outreach at DCMS, the local middle school.  We learned what we will be doing with the students there, and a little about the homestay.  The remainder of the day was spent completing medical check-ins and phoning home.  At 6:00 we had dinner circle and following dinner, at 8:15 we had a class in which we discussed major rules and expectations.  Then, at 10:00 and 10:30, we had check in and lights out.

- Mickey Mittermeier & Helen Pierson