I’ve Always Wanted to be a Scientist

A core part of the Island School curriculum is research class, which is taught by CEI (Cape Eleuthera Institute) researchers.

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Research class is a crucial part of the semester because of how much responsibility is left to the students throughout the class/study. In research class, our teachers let students own their project, which allows for the students to truly understand and learn everything about their study. Students do everything from write research papers, to give presentations, to collect and analyze data all the data collected throughout our fieldwork. Research has been my favorite part of the semester and I cannot wait to give our presentation to researchers and government officials next week.

This semester, the research classes offered were Stingrays, Turtles, Flats, Conch, Sustainable fisheries, Lemon Sharks, Lionfish, and Deepwater.

Stingrays research is studying the dietary habits of Yellow Stingrays in correlation to electro-sensory detection [a sense used by stingrays to detect the electric field produced by every organism].

Performing gastric lavage to collect stomach contents
Performing gastric lavage to collect stomach contents
Gathering stomach contents to bring back to the lab for analysis
Gathering stomach contents to bring back to the lab for analysis

In Turtles research, they are studying how predators and vegetation influence the abundance and distribution of Green Turtles.

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In Flats research, they are assessing anthropogenic impacts on tidal creek systems.

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In Conch research, they are studying the population density of Queen Conch in Cape Eleuthera.

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Sustainable Fisheries is studying the local opinions of fishermen surrounding marine conservation efforts.

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Lemon Shark research is studying how much energy a shark expends when being captured and handled, specifically when caught on a long line.

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In Lionfish, they are determining the prey preference of lionfish, as it is an invasive species in the Bahamas (and everywhere outside of the Indo-Pacific).

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And finally in Deepwater research, we are studying to find baseline data of deepwater species in depths of 500-1200meters within the Exuma Sound, as it has never been studied before.

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We started off this semester of Research with orientation, which was followed by several weeks of fieldwork. In the midst of our fieldwork weeks, we had a project introduction presentation. This consisted of sharing and introducing our study with the rest of the Island School community. Since then we have analyzed field data, put together presentations that we presented to our parents, and next week we will be presenting to researchers and government officials from around the world.

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by Julia, Boden and Fiona

Half Marathon & Super Swim FundRacer!

There’s no doubt that one highlight of an Island School semester is the half-marathon and super swim, which gives students and faculty the chance to push themselves to levels of physical extremity that seemed impossible just three months prior.

Scott, training for the Super Swim
Scott, training for the Super Swim

Our Human Ecology group’s idea was to fundraise for the Cape Eleuthera Foundation, and we decided that we could raise money by giving others a glimpse into the individual stories of 5 athletes training for their big event.

Our group project was aptly named “Fundracer.” A boy and a girl from both the swim and run tracks were selected, as well as a faculty member, who were filmed during exercise and interviewed. Although their experience and athletic abilities vary, it is clear that each athlete has been giving it their all—day in and day out.

Each of the 5 participants are representing a specific branch of the Cape Eleuthera Foundation, which are The Island School, Early Learning Center (ELC), Center for Sustainable Development (CSD), Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI), and the Deep Creek Middle School (DCMS). Whether alum or parent, it is easy to relate and become inspired by the stories of each athlete and the progress that has been made so far.

To donate each cause click here but make sure to specify which cause you’re supporting by leaving the following comment on the Give page: ‘FundRacer: Student/Faculty Name’

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Stay tuned in the near future for an update video before the big events. Your support keeps our community thriving; any donation is much appreciated. Thanks for reading & we hope you enjoy our videos!

Thank you from Baylor, Avery and Zach

Spring 2014 Parents Weekend!

The tables were set and the food was ready, all that was missing were the parents. Sure enough at 5 o’clock sharp cars started rolling into the driveway. Students massed together outside the girls dorm waiting excitedly for their parents to finally arrive and cheering when each student ran and gave their family the much anticipated hug.

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The next few hours were spent giving tours of the beautiful campus and showing off the art gallery.

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At 6:30 we gather to circle and for the first time as we counted off we were all together and the parents were already learning about life at The Island School.

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Dinners with advisory groups followed and at 8 o’clock families were ushered off of campus so that we could prepare for our research presentations the next day.

Thursday morning parents continued to learn about the Island School when they joined their students during morning exercise and either participated in run or swim track.

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Morning exercise was followed by breakfast with our families and then the much anticipated research presentation.

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After the presentations we gathered at the flagpole to pose for a parent’s weekend group photo and then geared up for an afternoon filled with student-teacher conferences.

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Friday morning we gathered as a group at 6:30 to prepare for a run to High Rock where we watched our families take the jump just like we did at the beginning of the semester.

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The day was filled with directors presentations and the opening of The Center for Sustainable Development!

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Friday night was highly anticipated as it was the coffee house! Highlights included a rap by Sam, Cole and Max, a father daughter guitar duet and a group sing along lead by Sam’s dad Ernie Parizeau.

Saturday was spent exploring the Island as students led their parents throughout Eleuthera. Many spent there time exploring beaches all around, eating lots of food and enjoying time with their families. And now we are trying to make the most of our 17 days left of the semester. Now that we are in our last academic week, we are starting to look forward to the finals ahead, the half marathon and the super swim, the research symposium and our last few weeks with our best friends.

by Faith, Patrick, Julia, Robin and Boden

Parents are Coming!

The students at The Island School cannot believe that parent’s weekend is officially a day away! The fact that we will be reuniting with our family for the first time in nearly two months is beyond exciting. In the mean time there is a lot to do on the Island School Campus in preparation for the arrival of our parents.

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Homemade Name Tags for Parents, Faculty & Staff

When our parents and siblings first come they will get a quick tour of the campus and then they are whisked off immediately to the art gallery where the cumulative artwork we have been working on this semester will be on display.

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At the moment we are finishing the final parts of bringing the art show together but we are ahead of schedule so I am sure that it will come together beautifully.

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Besides the art gallery the students are all gearing up for the final research presentations. At this point all of the research groups have presented there first run through to a small audience but we are still scrambling to make last minute changes to further perfect our performances.

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What all the students are really looking forward to is alone time with their family to share all of the treasures that The Island School and Eleuthera withhold. There will be scheduled activities such as scuba dives and kayaking on campus for the students to do with their parents and I’m sure just about every student is excited to have the opportunity to start exploring the rest of the island!

Eleuthera, The Bahamas

There are plenty of great sights around the island, near and far. In South Eleuthera the two biggest attractions that Island School students know are the Rock Sound Ocean Hole and Lighthouse Beach. Lighthouse beach is an expansive Atlantic pink sand beach on the southernmost tip of the island, with high cliffs, beautiful sand, and (of course) an old lighthouse, this beach is a must see! This is also where the students took there 48 hour solos during the eight day kayak trips.

Lighthouse Beach. Eleuthera, The Bahamas
Lighthouse Beach

Farther north in Rock Sound lays Eleuthera’s famous Ocean Hole, visited by the first prime minister of The Bahamas, Lynden Oscar Pindling as well as Jacques Cousteau who tried and failed to find the bottom. This inland saltwater pond is believed to connect to the sea, and teems with fish- it ‘s like snorkeling without getting wet! Another one of the highlight from everyone’s down island trip, which is a great destination for parents, is Glass Window Bridge. Glass Window Bridge is the narrowest part of the Island and if you look to either side you will see a drastic contrast of the color of the ocean. On the Caribbean side the water is a vibrant turquoise, on the Atlantic side it is deep blue. Surrounding it are treacherous limestone cliffs that paint a dramatic landscape. These are just some of the many amazing sights that one can see on Eleuthera and some of the families will have the luck to do so.

Eleuthera, The Bahamas
Glass Window Bridge

by Faith Isham and Patrick Friend

HMI Founders Visit The Island School

Christopher and Molly Barnes, founders of the High Mountain Institute, a semester school in Leadville, CO, sailed their boat into Triangle Cut right next to our Island School campus last week during their epic family journey around the world. They got a tour of the grounds and were especially thrilled to reconnect with mathematics teacher, Catherine Klem (Island School Fall 2003 alumna), who taught as a teaching apprentice at HMI a few years ago.

Back: Chris Maxey, Christopher & Molly Barnes, Catherine Klem; Front: Porter & Jack Barnes
Back: Chris Maxey, Christopher & Molly Barnes, Catherine Klem; Front: Porter & Jack Barnes

Don’t Count the Days, Make the Days Count

Monday was the first full day that all of the 48 Island School students were back together as a whole community. For the past three crazy weeks students have been split up in a combination of exhausting eight-day kayak trips, exciting down Island trips and a usual academic week.

I started with the academic week which was very relaxing after our crazy midterms week.  Although we were still on campus there was plenty of fun things to do; night dives, yoga, free dives, an earth day celebration and best of all a rake and scrape dance class.

Then my small group of twelve embarked on our Down Island trip where we got to visit tourist destinations and resorts to see how tourism has affected Eleuthera and the greater Bahamas.  Highlights of the Down Island trip included visiting a ginormous banyan tree, exploring Harbor Island, indulging in all of the sweets and food that we have missed at the Island School, jumping off a twenty foot cliff into a beautiful blue hole, and the Hatchet Bay caves where we got to paint our bodies with red mud.

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Jumping into the blue hole!
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Preacher’s Cave
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Harkness at Governor’s Harbor Library
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Glass Window Bridge!

When we returned to campus with our stomachs substantially full and our faces a little redder we had to immediately pack for our eight-day kayak trip.  This entailed packing six days of food, kayaks, personal and other gear.

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Group gear ready to pack into our kayaks
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K4!

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After we had a last good nights rest in our beds we woke up early the next morning at 6:30 and finished getting our kayaks packed up and ready.  I can easily say that for most of us the eight-day kayak trip and the two-day solo were probably the hardest experiences of our life.  With around five hours of paddling per day in the hot sun (don’t worry we were equipped with plenty of sunscreen) the first four days were pretty difficult.  On the fourth day we finally reached light-house beach where we had our much anticipated solos.

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Approaching Lighthouse
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We made it!

The 48 hours we all spent separately alone on the beach with very limited resources were spent in various ways.  Some people spent the whole time busy adventuring into the coppice others swam, sunbathed and danced on the beach.  Personally I spent a lot of time reflecting and writing in my placebook with the occasional visit into the coppice to open up a coconut.

Time at the Island School constantly feels like it goes by quickly so I really enjoyed the time to decompress and step back from all of the experiences that have occurred thus far in the semester.  As Klem my group leader said at the end of the solo when we returned as a group, whether you made sense of you solo now or sometime later in your life it is an incredibly valuable experience.

Lastly, we spent our final two days paddling before we returned to the Island School Campus. After a relaxing Sunday where we could shower with fresh water and get a good nights sleep in a real bed we have a normal week of classes.

Students on campus are all so excited for the arrival of there parents which is only a week away but we are also gearing to organize the art show and research symposiums which will both be a huge part of parents weekend.

Like I said before, time passes by quickly at the Island School so I’m sure that we’ll see our parents in no time but for now it feels like there is so much to do before then.  It’s hard to believe that the semester is coming close to the end (less then a month but whose counting).  After Parents weekend we will only have two more weeks on the wonderful Island of Eleuthera.

But as a quote once said at dinner circle said, “Don’t count the days, make the days count.”

by Faith Isham

West Chester University Students Complete Their Student Teaching at DCMS

Deep Creek Middle School recently said goodbye to two more of its student teachers this spring, Jonathan Jasper and Nancy Stehman from West Chester University in Pennsylvania. The candidates, seen here with their university supervisor Dr. Claire Verden, were the first in their school to fulfill part of their student teaching experience requirements abroad. The opportunity came about through Dr. Verden and the long relationship she has on the island with schools like DCMS and The School for Exceptional Learners in Governor’s Harbour. Dr. Verden, who first came to Eleuthera on vacation, identified ways to volunteer and get her students engaged on the island.  “Our relationship first began when Dr. Verden brought students to DCMS for a half-day visit. Soon after, we were conducting joint professional development for each other and then talking about how to share expertise,” says Dr. Paul, Director of Education and coordinator of student teaching partnerships. “The West Chester students are all dual certified in special education and another subject of their choice, so we at DCMS can benefit from their expertise. At the same time, the West Chester students are excited to see us implementing a range of best practices in education with a variety of learners and academic results.”

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The West Chester students are just one group in a series of partnerships with international and national universities to support student teaching. DCMS has agreements with West Chester University, Queens University, The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and The College of The Bahamas. Each university has a different arrangement with DCMS, but all find it valuable to offer some of their students exposure to the work being done at DCMS, The Island School and CEI. This past year, we hosted our first full-time student teacher from COB. Mrs. Sophia Smith was so excited to be working in a school that is utilizing the progressive pedagogy that she had learned that she applied for and was hired to be the English teacher next year. These partnerships are excellent opportunities for DCMS to share its experience with curriculum and programs as well as to find the next crop of talented teachers who will give back to our community.

The West Chester University student teachers with their colleagues who were placed at the Center for Exceptional Learners at graduation their, celebrating their time in The Bahamas!
The West Chester University student teachers with their colleagues who were placed at the Center for Exceptional Learners at graduation their, celebrating their time in The Bahamas!