“Get out and do something.”  That is something my parents have made sure I never forget. No matter what everybody else is doing, stretch beyond it. Be stronger. Be different. Do things nobody else around you ever thought they could. I think one of the major points of my worldview is that people like to stay in a very cozy comfort zone, and those who push out of that restricting bubble are the ones who make a difference in the world.

These first lines of Tai Massimilian’s Eleutheros essay this week caught our attention. Her style, reflection and distinct voice were just what we need in a Daily Update writer. So, with culmination of the first two week rotation, saying goodbye to Eric Witte and his excellent work, we decided to invite Tai to take over as student blogger for the next rotation. Please enjoy her personal insights and daily observations as blog author for the next two week, starting with today…

Daily Update: This weekend the Island School students were fully engaged in Bahamian culture. Saturday morning, after a long 6 mile run for the runners and 1 mile swim for the swimmers, we left in vans to be dropped off in different settlements with Bahamian families. I had the privilege of traveling to Tarpum Bay, Eleuthera for what I thought was to be a day of sitting in a house conducting interviews. But, as the Island School usually goes, I was pushed out of my comfort zone and pleasantly surprised. Continue reading →

Yesterday evening, just before dorm check-in, one of my good friends had the misfortune of knocking a pipe out of place.  At once, the water started to erupt, so he ran to the dorm for help.  At the dorm we heard yells of “FELIX, FELIX, HELP! HELP! There’s water everywhere!”  So Felix, our literature teacher, leapt up and ran to where my friend guided him.  When it became clear that Felix needed more help, the rest of the boys’ dorm came flooding out and following my friend to the pipe.  At first, we caught the water with buckets and quickly formed a chain to pass the buckets and dump them back into the cistern.  This was not as effective as it needed to be though, so Brandon stuffed his hand down the pipe to stop its flow.  At that moment, Felix shouted that we needed to shut off the water pump.  We shut off the pump, and our problem was solved, but what I was fascinated by how quickly we assessed the situation and began to work together in a productive manner.  Continue reading →

Yesterday afternoon, Peter and Teschna took their Marine Ecology class SCUBA diving.  We dropped forty feet down to Tunnel Rock, and swam around exploring under rocks, caves, and tunnels.  The idea of SCUBA diving during a class inspired me.  For one, already in our class we have learned a life skill that will extend itself far beyond Marine Ecology class.  In addition, diving gives our classroom work meaning: I find nearby fish species that I visit frequently to be much more relevant to me than those found under the arctic ice cap.  As we kicked our way around Tunnel Rock, Continue reading →

Yesterday, during Community Outreach, each student went to their group with their Deep Creek Middle School buddy in order to work on a project that some of the middle school students had selected. I was part of Teen Community building, and as our first task, we subdivided to create a public service announcement that we could publish via social media. Emma Barbera and her buddy, Zyria, and me and my buddy, Michael broke off to make a video promoting awareness about domestic violence. Our project opened the participants up for exchange. It was easy to exchange ideas with our buddies while working on a video. Together we would plan the facts to use, record our buddies speaking, and check over the work.

I was really impressed by my buddy’s focus on strengthening his community. Continue reading →

Over the weekend, Island School students made their first visits to the host families that they will be interviewing for their Oral History Projects for Histories Class.  Some folks lounged around with members of the family and got to know them, other groups baked Johnnycake, and other students walked around the settlement with their hosts.  The groups of students were dispersed around Deep Creek, Waterford, Green Castle, Tarpum Bay, and Rock Sound. The project’s goal is that each group will make a video of each family’s oral history after a semester of time spent interviewing and learning about them. The families will receive the videos as gifts.  Continue reading →