Cacique Update-September 9, 2010

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“Tunnel Rock”  September 9, 2010

by Caciques Jackson Rafter and Sasha Whittle

For our second day of scuba, the campus was up early setting up their scuba gear, despite the sleep-in. After breakfast, each scuba group loaded the boats and took off quickly to finish the final required skills. The morning of skills felt long as we all anticipated the deeper and more adventurous dive. Each group raced back to the boathouse to switch out to their second tanks. Some of us struggled to complete 10 pushups with our tanks and gear on, punishment for leaving our tanks unsupervised. We cruised on our boats farther from the shore than usual, not being able to see the creatures that awaited us at the bottom. We grabbed the boats anchor line, many of us clenching with white knuckles nervous for our first Continue reading

New York Harbor School officially opens on Governors Island!

Yesterday was the first day of school for students at the New York Harbor School, which recently relocated from Bushwick, Brooklyn to Governors Island, just short a ferry ride from Manhattan.  The Island School is a proud partner of NYHS; in recent years, we have hosted students for two weeks for SCUBA certifications and advised them on various sustainability projects, such as their recent addition of an aquaponics system.  We’re looking forward to watching NYHS do great things at their new location!

Read more about the opening of NYHS on Governors Island in the New York Times, DNAInfo, Brooklyn Paper and Metro.

Cacique Update-September 8, 2010

“Breaking Boundaries and Blowing Bubbles”

by Caciques George Giannos and Hunter Foote

Today was a melancholy day at The Island School. After breakfast over a picturesque ocean view on the roof of the dining hall, the second troop of kayakers departed, leaving the campus like a ghost town. After already being separated for three days, seeing our Island School family disperse again was heartrending. However, those of us on campus were filled with anticipation to start SCUBA. We began our SCUBA Continue reading

Cacique Update-September 7, 2010

“A Different Kind of Homesickness”

Caciques: Daisy Spencer and Scott Endzel

“I was really homesick the last hour of being on the camp site, but as soon as my kayak hit the sand at school, I realized I was Island sick.”—Hunter Foote, K1 trip

Going in to our first week of official Island School life, it’s starting to get more exciting around campus. The first groups of scuba divers are now officially certified as of 3:30 this afternoon. During the scuba certification, Continue reading

Cacique Update-September 6, 2010

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Caciques: Sarah S. and Jack

Our first week at The Island School has come quickly to an end. As the students and faculty begin to know each other more, we are all realizing that not only is this our home for the next three months—it is also our family. Although many hearts on campus are longing for the comfort of their own family, the environment at The Island School creates a sense of community and connectedness that only a home like The Island School itself can provide. Tonight at the dinner circle we demonstrated just how much we support each other. As we stood in a tightly Continue reading

Cacique Update-September 2, 2010

Caciques: Aubrey Faggen and Will Overman

After a great nights sleep, we started off bright and early with our first morning swim. We began with a light jog to the ocean, from there we set off on our half mile swim which lead us around the inside curve of a cove. Although some of us struggled, we all pushed through and made it to the end! Even with some tired bodies in the water, we all still managed to strive for another ten minutes of treading water.  And then again, we all sprinted back to campus with our masks in our hands, and Continue reading