October 14, 2010

“Crazy Currents, Sailboats, and Composting Songs”

By Caciques Heather and Jackson

                This morning we awoke to “extended morning exercise.”  For Swim Track, Jackson, being cacique, designed a workout that took us farther than we had ever gone before.   The swim out to the “pole” was relatively smooth, as the current was pushing us along.  At the turnaround point, however, we realized that the swim back to campus against the current would be a bit more challenging.  I had countless moments of frustration when I plunged my head into the water, kicking and pulling my hardest, only to realize that I was barely moving.  Despite the hardships, every single Swim-Tracker made it through the workout. After ninety minutes of swimming, it was the longest that most people had ever swum at one time.  During the three-hour class block following breakfast, I headed to Land & Environmental Art and Jackson to Human Ecology.  Art class was dedicated to presentations of group art projects and peer critiques.  Each different project represented a different theme, my group’s being “from trash to treasure.”   Using salvaged materials such as scrap wood, empty biodiesel jugs, PVC pipes, and blue tarp, we constructed a makeshift sailboat.  The group presented the finished product to the other art students and teachers in an appropriate setting:  on Boys’ Dorm Beach, the port from which the group hopes to send the boat on her maiden voyage to the boathouse dock.

-Heather

                The compost crew in Human Ecology was presented with a big task today: restructure the compost system at the school. Our first visit was to the dining hall, where we looked in the compost bucket to see if people were throwing the appropriate food in. To our dismay, we found many contaminates such as plastic, meat, and dairy which all destroy the compost system. We knew what we had to do. Dinner announcement time… Or not. Way too boring. We decided to spice things up and make a skit at lunchtime to raise awareness about what can and cannot go in the compost bucket. Director Meaghan K led the production and gave roles to the whole compost team. At lunchtime, the whole deck erupted with clapping and chanting, and the composters led the catchy song that stated compost friendly food. Whether or not the idea actually got across is still unknown, but it sure made some people laugh. 

-Jackson