DCMS Presentations of Learning a Success!

_Y1A1650DCMS students showed off their final School without Walls (SWW) projects last Thursday evening during Presentations of Learning (POL) at the DCMS campus, marking the end of a seven-week experiential learning unit. The opening ceremony was held before students’ families, friends, teachers, and mentors on the basketball court at 5 p.m. Representatives from each grade level gave guests a brief overview of projects before the two-hour open house began.

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“Presentations of learning were very exciting because of the support from the community and family and friends,” said Grade 9 student Patrick Johnson. During SWW students go into the community to gain hands-on experience with the social and environmental aspects unique to South Eleuthera. Students and teachers alike dive full throttle into the kind of place-based curriculum that CEF is known for.

“I liked SWW because it was a once in a lifetime experience,” said Grade 7 student Charleston Darling. “Other schools don’t really let you do stuff like that.” Grade 7 students studied marine ecology, taking several trips into the field to tag turtles with CEI researchers, snorkel among fish of all kinds at Cape Eleuthera, and camp in the Exuma Cays with Captain Ron, Chris Maxey, and Grade 7 SWW teachers Odette Pretty and Meghan Maloney. Students ultimately produced a nonfiction report about a local marine habitat and organism.

_Y1A1806Grade 8 students were immersed in the study of plastic pollution in The Bahamas and the world at large, hoping to find and implement viable local interventions with the help of CEI plastic pollution researcher Kristal Ambrose and Grade 8 SWW teachers Angela Schatz and Emma Sparrow. POL guests were treated to students’ persuasive anti-plastic seminars.

Grade 9 students learned firsthand that a more equitable and just society requires taking action. Teachers Will Simmons and Jaclyn Jones paired each student with a social or environmental activist in the South Eleuthera community to hone in on an injustice and craft a project proposal to be carried out during the forthcoming Community Outreach class.

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The presentations were well-attended and an air of celebration was undoubtedly in the air. “I’m constantly impressed with the level of work our students put forth during Presentations of Learning,” said Grade 8 SWW teacher Emma Sparrow.

TK Foundation Visits Campus

On Wednesday, February 19, we were pleased to host Mr. Arthur Croady and Mrs. Esther Blair from the TK Foundation on campus. The TK Foundation is our largest Bahamian supporter and helps makes the great work we do at DCMS and with the BESS program possible. Their day-long visit featured tours of campus sustainable systems, class visits to DCMS and discussions with researchers and educators about their experiences and future outreach programs.

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New York Harbor School Visits The Island School

Last week the New York Harbor School, located in the heart of New York Habor, visited The Island School for their 6th consecutive year.  Each year NYHS sends a group of students with instructors Joe Gessert and Liv Dillon to participate in a week of intense SCUBA training.  In addition to the two instructors, NYHS sends down a student Dive Master and student Dive Master in-training to help organize and help out with dives.

Ron instructing NYHS student how to drive & navigate the Cobia
Captian Ron instructing NYHS student how to drive & navigate the Cobia

Over the course of the week, all of the visiting 10th and 11th grade students completed their PADI Advanced Open Water SCUBA certification, participated in daily morning excercise, and explored Eleuthera.  With over 20 group dives led by Ron Knight, the director of waterfront and SCUBA operations, the group collectively logged over 300 dives!  These consisted of both shallow water reef dives and deep water dives of the wall of the Exuma Sound, as well as navigation and several night dives.

Amongst their favorites, one that stood out for many of the students (and was often requested!) was diving The Cape Eleuthera Institute’s offshore aquaculture cage, also known as “The Cage”.  The Cage is a massive underwater structure located a mile off the coast of Eleuthera at a depth of about 80ft.  When diving The Cage one is transported to a surreal underwater landscape, which includes what looks like a giant space ship to the west and the 3000 ft depth of the Exuma sound to the east!  With the opportunity to see various species of sharks, schools of horse-eyed jacks, and a massive grouper that is known to reside below the cage, it’s no wonder The Cage was a favorite dive for many of the students!

The Cage

Another notable dive was Hole in the Wall, a deep dive along the wall of the Exuma Sound.  This dive includes a swim-through of a bus sized tunnel that starts on top of the reefs at 70 ft and exits along the wall of the Exuma Sound at 100 ft looking out into the 3000 ft blue abyss.   You can check out a quick timelapse of their dive at Hole in the Wall on our Instagram!  NYHS finished their week with a trip “down island” snorkeling at the Green Castle Blue hole where they spotted a school of eagle rays!

The New York Harbor School and the Island School have a strong history of partnership with the facilitation of thier annual diving program at The Island School and NYHS sending students to the Island School Semester Program.  Here’s to many more years!

Below is a photo essay of NYHS’s last dives at The Cage and Hole in the Wall:

(Photographs by Will Strathmann)

Flippers, masks, and BCDs -all set up before breakfast waiting in the boathouse
Flippers, masks, and BCDs all set up before breakfast in the boathouse
NYHS students entering the boathouse before a morning dive
NYHS students entering the boathouse before a morning dive
NYHS students kitting up
NYHS students kitting up
Full tanks waiting to board the Cobia
Full tanks waiting to board the Cobia
Instructors Joe and Liv planning a dive
Instructors Joe and Liv planning a dive
NYHS students on the Cobia
NYHS students on the Cobia
Giant stride entry off the Cobia
Giant stride entry off the back of the Cobia
Let's go diving!
Let’s go diving!
The Cage
The Cage
NYHS students standing on the outer rim of the cage
NYHS students standing on the outer rim of the cage
School of horse-eyed jacks under the cage
School of horse-eyed jacks under the cage
Swimming along the patch reefs west of The Cage
Swimming along the patch reefs west of The Cage
Students helping each other back on the Cobia before another dive
Students helping each other back on the Cobia before another dive
All smiles after their last dive at The Cage
All smiles after their last dive at The Cage
Unloading empty tanks off the Cobia
Unloading empty tanks off the Cobia
These kids sure use a lot of air!
These kids sure use a lot of air!
Captain Ron giving a pre-dive run-through of Hole in the Wall
Captain Ron giving a pre-dive run-through of Hole in the Wall
NYHS students "skydiving" down into the entry of Hole in the Wall
NYHS students “skydiving” down into the entry of Hole in the Wall
Looking out into the 3000 ft deep Exuma Sound after exiting Hole in the Wall
Looking out into the 3000 ft deep Exuma Sound after exiting Hole in the Wall
Swimming along the wall of the Exuma sound at a maximum dive depth of 110 ft
Swimming along the wall of the Exuma Sound at a maximum dive depth of 110 ft
Five minute safety stop after the dive
Five minute safety stop after the dive
A common scene on the Cobia after a long day of diving
A common scene on the Cobia after a long day of diving

We Hope to see you next year!