Monthly Archives: November 2011

Cacique Update

Cacique Update November 2, 2011

Jane and Katie  11.2.11

A legacy is something you leave for the future. 

A big-cheeked smile, dripping with mango juice, came to mind while working on creating the grow-beds. My little sister cherishes a good piece of fruit more than anyone I know. “One of the goals here at The Island School is to have all our food grown right here on campus,” Cam shared with us in between shovels full of dirt.  I imagined my sister, a potential Island School student, passing by lavish grow beds that we had been working all day to install and grabbing a piece of fruit before class. I pictured the fruit in her palm being a reminder to be thankful for the opportunity she was given to come to school here. Although I wanted that for myself, thinking about it being available to my sister made me happy about the work I had done. We worked hard all day in the rain, filling and emptying wheelbarrows full of sand to lay out so plants could grow. It was a strenuous day but well worth the while, so that students just like us will one day have The Island School experience we had, with a little fruit to top it off.

Exploration time was quiet today. The rain and freezing temperatures, (freezing, considering we’ve been in The Bahamas for 2 months) made for a perfect indoor cozy-up day. After getting soda for our Legacy Day accomplishments, I ventured to the dining hall for a snack. I found Sam and Henry helping Mooch make our dinner’s bread, and asked if I could help. We kneaded the dough, rolled it out, had a miniature flour fight, but got the job done. Afterwards, Mooch let us make brownies for the community. Once the batter was in the tray, I sheepishly suggested, “I could go get some spoons…” Alluding to finishing off the batter. Mooch caught my drift. “No, no, no, baby girl. You’re gonna get me in trouble!” My heart sank a little, but then she added, “That’s a finger-licking job!” We all laughed as we took swipes of batter from the bowl that held enough batter to make 80 brownies. The brownies were put in the oven and served after dinner. As much as I enjoyed dishing out the brownies and devouring them, myself, the most memorable part of my day was licking that bowl clean with Mooch in the kitchen.

Cacique Update

Cacique Update October 31, 2011

by Cacique Carter

Community meetings are my favorite part of the week. On Monday, the groups ofIslandSchoolstudents (K1 andK2) and faculty on campus gathered together to discuss, reflect, and acknowledge recent events, feelings, and actions. Having just been reunited together after our separate kayak trips, we all had so much to catch up on. For me, the best and most memorable part of this meeting was when we shared with the rest of the community our favorite part of our kayak trip. It was incredible how, when one person shared their own story, the eleven other people in their group were equally as entertained and inspired. Anika recalled a moment when K1 was dragging their kayaks through a mangrove swamp, and when all hopes were down, Zeeke brought out candy and cookies, which he shared with the rest of the group! As Anika shared her story, the rest of K1 laughed, moaned, and cheered for Zeeke in unison. Continue reading →

Cape Eleuthera Institute, CEI

CEI Enters Grant Proposal to Solution Search

Over the past few weeks, Dave Philipp, Julie Claussen, Peter Zdrojewski, Skylar Miller, and Liane Nowell, scientists and faculty members from CEI and Island School have been working on a grant proposal to enter in RarePlanet’s Solution Search, which rewards innovative conservation successes in communities where the need is greatest. This specific Solution Search is focused projects that address the issue of the depletion of global fish stocks. With all the great work CEI is doing with dwindling fish stocks, we believe we have a good chance of winning the first place project grant of $20,000, or one of the other great honors up for grabs. You can read more about Solution Search here, and the grant our team put together here. Wish us luck!

Cacique Update

Cacique Update October 30, 2011

by Cacique Zeke

Today, the Island School students remaining on campus, those done braving Eleuthera’s treacherous waters with kayaks made a trip to Princess Cays, a popular resort destination for passengers traveling on the Princess cruise ships. The resort was jam-packed full of swimsuit-wearing tourists, enjoying its beaches, waters, and refreshments under the warm Bahamian sun. First, we received a tour of the resort, which ended at the buffet. Everyone’s eyes widened when we gazed upon all that good-looking food: as much as we wanted provided graciously by Princess Cruise lines! We then proceeded to pile our plates with hamburgers, hotdogs, fruits, and desserts, and then ate ourselves into oblivion! The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering around Princess Cays, collecting interviews for our history projects where we asked about different perspectives on tourism.  We also checked out the specialties of local vendors stationed in the resort. We all had fun a fun and interesting time at Princess Cays. We left the resort at 2:15 and got back to The Island School in time for exploration time.