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Pacific Ridge High School Educational Programs Visit
Once again Educational Programs has been out having a blast, all the while teaching and learning in the field.
This time, four high school boys and their chaperone teacher Melissa Sullivan visited us all the way from Pacific Ridge High School in Carlsbad, California. The group was with us for twelve days, and we got to spend much of their time working with researchers in the field or in the lab. Expecting to come here and experience nothing more than white sand beaches, the students were surprised by how much valuable knowledge they had learned by the end of their stay here. They left happy knowing that they had gotten to know some of the finer details of the real Bahamas and some of the major challenges and opportunities of the area.
Cacique Update June 5, 2011
The day had come. Either by choice, or because we were forced to: every student packed one of the large duffels that they came with. These bags would be sent ahead of our flights on Wednesday, so as to not over-weight the planes we depart on. In just two days we will meet our bags back home. T-shirts were exchanged, tears were shed, and at some point in time people came to the realization that we only have 2 days left. With our material items cut in half, we were set free once again at1:15after our last Sunday brunch. During our last exploration time, some visited the places that had become sacred to them, Continue reading
We Started the Fire!
We Started the Fire- with Biodigestion
At several points during our Island School journey, we experience many firsts. Only minutes ago, our biodigestion team went down in Bahamian history by producing and using the first biogas produced from an anaerobic digestion system. Just recently, we added a new system with 7% glycerol called “Hal-Drew,” named after a visiting master teacher and an Island School alum. Earlier this afternoon, we found this new addition to our digestion fleet to have several leaks in the gas tubing, disturbing the biogas production process. We quickly remedied this leaky situation by wrapping the holes in electrical tape. Our eyes lit up at the sight of the water level rising before we had even finished this process. Continue reading
Small Feet – Human Ecology Measured
by Anne, Adam, Annie, and Nick
The Island School prides itself on being an environmentally conscious institution; yet how kind is the school to the earth? Yes, we make our own biodiesel and compost, have solar panels and a wind turbine, we even pump our sewage into manure for bananas, but what is our carbon footprint? Up until this point in time, the actual carbon footprint of the school had not been calculated and this human ecology group set out to do just that. Carbon outputs, as many of you know, pollute the atmosphere and play a large role in climate change. Though poorer nations like The Bahamas do not have the largest impact on the global carbon footprint, islands like Eleuthera are vulnerable to the effects of climate change. We felt it was our responsibility to understand our carbon impact on the world so that we could make steps towards living more within the school’s pillar of “sustainability.” Continue reading
Cacique Update June 4, 2011
by Caciques Brontë and Jack
Saturday was a day full of exciting events. The final research symposium was held on campus, transition classes were held, themed dinners and conch fest was celebrated.
The research symposium was a rewarding experience considering the fact that alumni, research specialists, and government officials traveled to hear about the research we conducted during the semester. We were excited to be high school students whose work and discoveries were not only valued by our teachers and The Island School, but would also become useful to the scientific community. Continue reading
Legs to Lights – The Power of Human Ecology
by Jon Vredenburg
The purpose of our project was to raise awareness about energy consumption. At The Island School, we have spent many community meetings talking about water conservation. Yet not as much concern is shared with electricity conservation. 80% of our power comes from our solar panels and wind turbine, which is great, but that means that 20 % of our electricity is still being generated at the diesel power plant in Rock Sound. Continue reading
Remembering why…
As you all know, students are greeted with quite a demanding schedule upon arrival. Still, we stress the importance of finding time and space to reflect on their experience, to re-tell a story, re-imagine a reality and re-construct an unsustainable system. Well, believe it or not, the staff has an equally formidable schedule awaiting them. So, in all fairness, I feel inclined to do the same, to allow for a paradox of regression, a moment to step back. As of late, my mind and heart remains afloat over the question ‘why’- why is this place needed. Well folks, simply put, the answer lies in the need for reevaluating education.
Cacique Update May 2, 2011
by Caciques JP Ferro and Mia Thomas
With our Human Ecology presentations taking place today, every student took part in a group whose purpose was to change issues around Eleuthera. JP and his group members (Jack, James, True, and Nathan) took part in a Lionfish project called, “Licensed to Lionfish”. Lionfish are invasive species that are taking over the Atlantic; they originate from the Indo-Pacific and they have no predators in the Atlantic. In this project, the group started creating a market for lionfish by connecting local fisherman with restaurants in order to help control lionfish
The Last Tingum
by Emma - The Blog Chore Master
The days are slowly counting down here at the Island School. Students are
starting to complete their “lasts”—we are on our last chore rotation, we finished our last classes, we did our last day of run track and swim track, we completed the last infamous run-swims, and our last weekend is coming up. It sets up an interesting phenomenon for the students because we are both excited by our accomplishments and proud of the challenges we have now completely overcome, but it means more and more of the things we once looked forward to are now in the past. For example, I have never liked the sciences. When I found out the Research Blocks here range from 3 to 5 hours, I thought I would be miserable and never get through them. Every time I walked over the bridge to CEI to attend Aquaculture, I celebrated that one more lab period was done. However in recent weeks, I have been dreading the end of Aquaculture. Not only have I finally passionate about something in the sciences, Continue reading