Yearly Archives: 2012

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Even More Reflections…

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Joe Eynck: The most awesome experience I have had at the Islandschool already in the short time I have been here was a blessing in disguise.  I had woken up at three in the morning on the 27th to catch my flight from DC toOrlando and I was not expecting to meet up with any other kids until my connecting flight in Rocksound.  I was very distraught when I realized my flight was delayed while waiting inOrlando.  I thought I may be alone inNassau for the night.  I was very happy to meet Kyle Titsworth.  I thought inside my head at least I am not alone here not really knowing if I would like being around this “new kid” Kyle.  We waited patiently together in the airport constantly asking on updates to see if we would make it to Rocksound in time for our connecting flight.  Finally the airline and our very sweet helper Bernadette realized we would be staying in a hotel in Nassau together with the head of staff Kalin.  I was very out of my comfort zone because I had not mentally calculated any changes in my already stressful schedule.  We eventually arrived inNassau much later than expected, or desired and by this time I was really wondering what is going on.  This part in my experience is where it all changed.  After talking with Kyle I realized he’s a really chill guy and I was lucky to be stuck with him in Nassau.  Kyle and I talked and got to know each other while we waited inNassau realizing we were going to be friends I got more excited to see what we would get into that night.  Finally we met with the head of staff Kalin and discussed our plans for the night.  We checked with Bahamasair to see what they were going to do for us and got a very hospitable deal.  Bahamasair gave us two nice hotel rooms for the night along with another flight early the next morning to our desired destination, and taxi service to and from the hotel, along with thirty dollars on them for our dinner.  Now I was thinking…Awwww yeahhh this is going to be sick.  I went on to have a really great night with an awesome dinner, chill conversations, meeting new people not even acquainted with The Island School, and bonding with my new friend Kyle.  When I contemplate the events beginning my mind, spirit, body journey I can assure you this could not have ended up any better.  The ironic thing was this great experience happened because of a mistake that at first seemed very bad to me, I guess you really do learn from mistakes.

 Mathilde McAlpin: “Meet at the boat house at 1:15” I was hot, feeling the exhast from the heat of the day, and tired after another oversized plate of food at lunch. I was looking forward to learning about all the projects provided for the spring semester, but in the moment was struggling to express my enthusiasm. Continue reading →

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More Reflections from The First Days

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Lauren Maida: After an anticipated intro to sign-out and bike sing-out, Sp ’12 lead the way to our first exploration of the vast and beautiful surroundings of the Island School campus on our recently accessible bike shed.  As we biked to the Marina and Sunset Beach, I noticed all of the amazing people, activities, and landmarks that I would have the opportunity to explore for the next 100 days.  Riding by, allowing my mind to drift to all of the exciting possibilities and memories that could potentially be made there, I realized that this semester is not just about the activities that Island School faculty will get us involved in and all of the added daily responsibility associated with being a member of the Island School community, but the duty we have to ourselves to live each moment to the fullest for the next 100 days, learn as much as we possibly can, and grant ourselves access to the endless possibilities that all contribute to the personal transformation that Island School has promised is possible.  From that moment, with my place book in hand attempting to grasp the handle of my beach cruiser, I knew that this semester would be filled with boundless opportunities for growth and discovery in a variety of different personal and communal forms…if we only let ourselves to experience it all.

Surayya Diggs: Upon arriving to the Island School my biggest worry was the athletic component of the program.  Today we had our first morning exercise and it was a short run followed by a swim and we only had 35 minutes to complete the swim component.  My lucky day. Continue reading →

Deep Creek Middle School

Prince Harry is Coming!

Next week, Prince Harry is visiting The Bahamas as part of the royal family’s tour of the Commonwealth to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Last week, Deep Creek Middle School received a call from the office coordinating the Prince’s visit. We were told that the Prince had heard about our school and was very impressed with what he had read and so they were requesting a student representative to meet with Prince Harry to talk about the youth environmental movement in the islands. Here is a picture of Moesha Leary, grade 9 and President of the Eco-Club, as she got the news that she would be the student representative. Stand by for more photos of the Prince and his new buddy Moesha!

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The First Days

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Over the next couple of days we will be featuring short narratives written by each of our forty-nine new students in the spring 2012 class. Enjoy these personal, inspirational, exciting, and sometimes surprising glimpses into what its like to be an Island School student, week 1.

Amelia Patsalos-Fox: Originally preparing to come to the island school, I was under the impression that giving up my cell phone, Facebook, and all other plugged in devices would be extremely challenging for me. In fact, though I still find myself out of habit, reaching for my telephone, this part of the experience has been the most fulfilling yet. As my Human Ecology class sat up on the deck tonight, examining the beautiful Caribbean stars, someone pointed out that the simple difference between a star and a planet is that stars twinkle and planets do not. The utter amazement in the faces of all my peers caught my attention. I started to think about why each and every person was able to take that simple fact and truly absorb and recognize the value of it. The conclusion I came to was that we were each able to do this because not one person had their cell phone out, checking Facebook. Not one person needed to communicate with a friend to talk about a spot to meet, or the latest piece of gossip. There was no materialism attached to our session on the roof and without the plug in and utter distraction of the plugged in Internet and outside world, each of us was able to appreciate and ponder the tiniest fact, which we will continue to do as we proceed through the next three months.

Felipe Gomez: When I heard I was in the dish crew, I was very disappointed. Continue reading →

Alumni, News

Remembering Walter Lovejoy

It is with our deepest sorrow that we recognize the passing of long-time friend and supporter of The Island School, Walter Lovejoy. He passed away this December after an amazing life. Two of his grandchildren graduated from The Island School–Emily Lovejoy in Fall 2007 and Alex Lovejoy in Spring 2002. In honor of their passed grandson and IS alum, Walter & Susan Lovejoy started the memorial Alex Lovejoy Scholarship. Every semester, the Lovejoy family awards a merit scholarship to an Island School student. Our thoughts go out to the Lovejoy family during this time and we cannot thank them enough for all their support over the years.

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Educational Programs

Gap Year Program Update #4

Boy, how time does fly.

Today marked the completion of week five of our two months here on the Cape, and we couldn’t be happier–or busier, for that matter. We finished our Down Island Trip on Saturday and settled back into campus to continue work on our ISPs on Monday. We then spent the rest of the week diving into these projects–from collecting Amber Pen Shells, to completing conservation surveys in Rock Sound, to helping the lionfish team survey their patch reefs. After also spending some of our time leading the Branson School students, visiting for the week from California, through some of the exercises and routines Island School students get to experience every day, the weekend came and everybody had a chance to relax before tying up loose ends and prepping for our kayak trip. With all of our food, tents, and gear packed and set aside we will be ready to leave tomorrow morning after breakfast for five days out on the Caribbean Sea, and man what an experience it will be.

–Cole Meyerhoff

Alumni

Helen Bourdeaux (S’10) and Family Revisit The Island School

Exactly two years ago, Helen Bourdeaux (S’10), was just beginning her Island School journey as a student. Last week, Helen, now an alumna, stopped by the Cape with her family to check out the school and reconnect with some familiar faces. It was great to see you, Helen! If any other alumni are going to be in the area for spring breaks, please let us know by emailing alumni@islandschool.org.