by Caciques Benji and Grace

Today was our last long block for our Human Ecology projects. The projects are designed and carried out by students to address problems found around campus or back home. This semester, many projects are based around energy use or food. Examples of projects are community outreach surveys, replacing the jam used in the kitchen, finding an alternative sweetener, and planning healthier, local meals at The Island School and at sending schools. Other projects include making and ordering eco-friendly art supplies, mapping coral reefs to see potential impacts of a development, raising awareness about energy use, organizing the resource area and recycling bins around campus, and helping solve problems with lettuce growth in the CEI hydroponic beds. Island School students have been working hard on their projects and are excited to share them with the community on Friday. It’s incredible to see how interested and passionate students are about their projects, and many students plan to apply what they’ve done at The Island School to their lives back home.

Today was also one of our last long blocks of Research. Students spent the class putting the final touches on their poster drafts, which were hung in the dining hall during dinner for a peer editing session. Anyone could read the posters and give their feed back so that groups know what is wrong with their poster and can perfect them before the Research Symposium this Saturday. This is a gathering were each research project gives a PowerPoint presentation followed by a discussion forum where they present their posters and answer questions. Government officials, scientists, community members and local Bahamians plan on attending. It has been a busy week so far, but we are all excited to show off our hard work at the Human Ecology Project Extravaganza and Research Symposium this weekend.