By Caciques Jon and Haley

It began with the mangroves. When the developers decided to dredge the cuts, demolish the swampy mangroves and create space for the projected resort, they ended up moving tons of limestone onto the property where The Island School currently stands. On legacy day, it was our duty as students to leave our mark on the campus. As we swung our pickaxes and shovels, as we pitted our strengths against the solid ground and as our sweat formed beads on the dusty earth, we were in a sense “building character.” What this truly means is different for everyone, but to me it was a time to not only collect blisters while digging holes and planting tamarinds, but also to collect my thoughts after a stunning 50 days. My stay on Eleuthera has been relatively short, yet it seems like ages ago that I stepped off the plane. Time is no longer a definite concept, and when we emerge from the crystalline water every morning after swim track, there is no time before the next charted activity. It was only this week when the exhausting pace finally slowed, that a consensus was reached. While said differently by everyone, Nick Manning has put it most fittingly. “I just realized today, that this place really feels like home.”