This morning I made the mistake of expecting an average day at The Island School. However that kind of day doesn’t actually exist. What I expected to be an average day turned out to be one of my most successful, and influential days here. We had Human Ecology class this morning; I am part of the Foam Elective. Our project is to convince local restaurants and take-aways to stop using styrofoam and convert them to using a corn based product instead. The corn product is more expensive and we were expecting resistance when we made our pitches, however in both instances we were very successful Continue reading →
On Wednesday, April 20th the Shark Team started a long day a reconnaissance fieldwork by boarding a 5:00 am ferry from Davis Harbor, Eleuthera, heading to Half Moon Cay. The objectives of this first time visit were to identify ideal habitats for juvenile lemon sharks, and to sample the shark population by inserting small, conventional “spaghetti” tags just below their dorsal fin and taking DNA samples. Continue reading →
Arriving back on campus yesterday after over a week of separation due to kayak, I expected to use my exploration time as I always did: by heading to the beach. Yet when the time came for me to sign out, I realized I didn’t actually want to go to the beach. In fact, I was perfectly content not going. When I first arrived here at The Island School, the beach was a magical, tropical paradise, a welcome change from the snow and winter blues I had left in my New England home. Anytime a group was rallying to head down to Sunset, I immediately jumped on board, eager to experience my environment and take in my surreal surroundings. That’s what they were to me: surreal. Continue reading →
Down Island Trips are not only an important Island School tradition, but they are one of the most engaging and exciting place-based educational opportunities available to our students. As a staff member, DIT’s are one of my favorite opportunities, too. I get to see students in new contexts, having new experiences, and negotiating new ideas (sometimes uncomfortable and difficult). This semester, in a walk-on basketball game with some locals on Harbour Island, a student was called “white boy” for the first time. Students talked about being treated like tourists. Individuals talked about how people would come up and easily identify them as Island School Students. They felt like this label meant that they were not individuals, but standardized and stereotypical predictions of people. They wrestled with the dangers of labels. They thought about the virtues of tourism. They even faced the fear of a first thing in the morning 3o foot cliff jump. What a way to start the day! I could feel paradigms shifting under my feet.
So, to demonstrate what a Down Island Trip really means, I bring you three moments that illustrate the heart of The Island School’s Down Island experience:
Staged at the Governor’s Harbour library, this is an excerpt from final Harkness-style discussion about what tourism means to Eleuthera.
Kayak group 2 rested our weary eyes during one last sleep-in before the academic rotation began. At around10:00amwe all emerged from our beds, which felt like soft marshmallows after sleeping on the ground for 11 days. However, those 11 days were some of the most exciting, fun, and trying days of our lives. On Down Island we ventured up to the north end of Eleuthera in order to consider what it means to be “responsible tourists.” We fully immersed ourselves into the culture by eating local food, conversing with people in different settlements, and seeing different communities. Continue reading →
Throughout my Island School experience, I’ve had a lot of firsts. My first night-time scuba dive, my first short haircut… but perhaps one of the firsts that I honestly never anticipated to experience here was my training as a quasi-plumber expert! Biodigestion is a process that has many useful benefits that range from the reduction of waste materials to the production of renewable energy- none of it would be conceivably possible, however, without proper plumbing and piping. So I sat down with Sam, our biodigestion advisor, where he taught me the ins-and-outs of how to properly clean and seal two pipes to activate a pressurized valve. Continue reading →
The Spring 2011 Aquaponics Research Crew spends our days watching lettuce grow. When we’re not bent over lettuce beds, measuring plant height and counting lettuce leaves (last week we estimate that we counted at least 2,500 leaves!) we like to relax and rap about the glamor filled life of an aquaponics researcher.
Due to the recent arrival of the K1 kayak group, today was hectic as it was filled with a tornado of emotions. Excitement, relief, confusion, and anticipation encompassed the campus. Students shared stories of kayak, the recent Rock Sound homecoming, and the laborious academic week that they had just endured. Everyone was excited to be reunited with each other; however, this reunion did not last long. Continue reading →
By: the aquaculture research class; Aldis, Emma, Izza, Marco, Bronte and Elizabeth
This semester’s research is focusing on lowering the percentage of fishmeal that is included in aquaculture fish food. This is a poem describing what we do each week with the aquaculture research class. Continue reading →
