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Cacique Update

Cacique Update April 20, 2011

By Caciques Jon and Haley

It began with the mangroves. When the developers decided to dredge the cuts, demolish the swampy mangroves and create space for the projected resort, they ended up moving tons of limestone onto the property where The Island School currently stands. On legacy day, it was our duty as students to leave our mark on the campus. As we swung our pickaxes and shovels, as we pitted our strengths against the solid ground and as our sweat formed beads on the dusty earth, we were in a sense “building character.” What this truly means is different for everyone, but to me it was a time to not only collect blisters while digging holes and planting tamarinds, but also to collect my thoughts after a stunning 50 days. Continue reading →

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Fall in Love with Marine Ecology

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In order to demonstrate their newly discovered knowledge of marine species (the good, the bad, and the attractive…) Marine Ecology students have been creating original “Match.com” profiles for local marine life.  Check out these hot new profiles and ask yourself: who would you rather spend an evening with: The sleek White Spotted Octopus, the too-cool Mandarin Fish, or the sweet Schoolmaster Snapper. (The Schoolmaster Snapper is more my type…)

White-Spotted Octopus by Nick Manning

Oh, I didn’t see you there; I’m a White Spotted Octopus, it’s nice to meet you. If flexibility is what you look for, seek no farther; I’m 100% compressible except for my beak. My white oval spots and my wart-like skin papillae on my mantle complement my brick red skin beautifully. I hope my appearance really reaches out to you like my arms, which are 4 times the size of my body. Speaking of my body, I carry a rounded, bulging head mounted by my 2 protruding eyes that pop out of the front. It’s amazing that my beautiful self grew out of a 1/8th inch egg.

When you do decide you want to meet me, I’m sure we can meet up in Florida, Bahamas, or the Caribbean, as well as any sub-tropical environment. Don’t get your hopes up, however, I wont appear for just anybody. Continue reading →

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Eleutheros – Human Ecology Inspired

by Jon V.

Deep in an ancient jungle, where yellow fever and malaria ran rampant, there once existed a primordial species of man. A creature that’s communication relied heavily on a system of grunting and rough gestures. In order to meet their nutritional needs, they hunted what animals they could find, and ate as many natural vegetables as they could harvest. The food they ate was largely determined by what they managed to attain on a daily basis. Today here at The Island School, little has changed about the way we communicate. But the way we eat has changed dramatically.

The typical Island School student has large caloric needs. After a long run or swim, many students can’t wait to get to breakfast and stuff themselves full of warm buttery sweet goodness. The granola with yogurt, the eggs and hash, the chocolate chip pancakes, all of these are delicacies compared to the meat and leafy greens our ancestors once enjoyed. Then why do the students complain about the food? Why do students feel the need to tell everybody and their brother that the food at The Island School is not only bad but there is not enough of it? The answer lies once again within the deep jungle. Continue reading →

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Haul on the Bowline

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This week in patch reefs research we began our long research block with a pirate march to one of Matt’s pirate ballads named “Haul on the Bowline.” Although we are still unsure of his reasoning for having such a song in his iTunes library, we all participated in marching around the class room to get in the right spirits to go explore more patch reefs and continue our data collection. Ironically enough, the song set the tone for the entire research class in that it was the first time that all of our patch reef researchers contributed to putting the anchor in and out of the water and handling other tasks associated with boat care, all essentially ‘hauling on the bowline’ to help out the group. Continue reading →

Cacique Update

Cacique Update April 18, 2011

by Caciques Hannah T and Marco

The days seem to fly by here on the island of Eleuthera, and today marks the halfway point in our journey. When we first arrived, our bonds had yet to be formed and unforgettable experiences awaited us. We were simply a group of unfamiliar teenagers that were eager to begin this journey of uncertainty and discovery together. Since then, we have developed lasting friendships and countless memories. Continue reading →

Aquaponics, research

Watching Lettuce Grow – Aquaponics Research

Lactuca Sativa [April 1, 2011 – April 4, 2011], known to his friends and family as Green Grand Rapids Tropicana Lettuce passed away last Monday as a result of faulty irrigation systems. He lived his short life in the farm beds on TheIslandSchool campus, under shady covering. Throughout his life, he enjoyed soaking up sun, photosynthesizing, continual growth, and extracting nutrients from the rich compost. Had his life not tragically ended, he would have gone on to sustainably feed theIslandSchool community. He is survived by his family in the Aquaponics system at the Cape Eleuthera Institute. Funeral arrangements were made by the aquaponics team and there will be an open wake for all that care to join this Saturday at2:37 pm. He will live on in our thoughts every time we eat salad and think about the salads that could have been.

The aquaponics team is currently conducting an experiment to understand which growing method: in ground or aquaponics, is ultimately more productive. Continue reading →

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Cisterns Go Hollywood!!

Chores aren’t always a chore. This week the folks over at cistern chores have been hard at work keeping tabs on water consumption, as well as making efforts to get out the word on water conservation. They decided to answer a challenge issued by Hercampus.com that seeks to reduce shower times to three-minutes. As you may well know, a three-minute shower at The Island School is a luxury that we just don’t have, so instead we made a film to promote the one-minute shower.

Now we need your help! Watch the video and send it to your friends. Not only do we want to spread the word on water conservation, but we want to win! And the video with most views by Earth Day (this Friday) wins a cache of biodegradable bath products from The Body Shop! With Caleb behind the camera, Haley and Marco playing lead roles, and the support of our faithful viewers, the film is a lock to win. Don’t miss the blooper reel at the end!

Cacique Update

Cacique Update April 17, 2011

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by Caciques Ami and Aidan

Today was our last day as a whole community for quite some time. In fact, K1 is leaving for eight day kayak and K2 is leaving for their Down Island trip tomorrow. We will not be seeing everyone together for the next three weeks. What better way to prepare us than a sleep in? For Aidan and I, as members of K1, today was spent preparing for our expedition. We sorted through the gear, making sure that tents, paddles, dromedaries, and everything else was accounted for. We packed food, our personal belongings, and bonded with our new “family”. Finally, as an end to our preparations we elected leaders (Hannah and TJ) for our first day on the water. The rest of the day was spent with the friends we would soon be leaving behind to their own adventures at school. We’re looking forward to getting out in our kayaks, maybe slightly nervous about our solo and the bugs. Let’s hope it doesn’t rain! We bid the school and our friends on K2, K3, and K4 farewell and good luck.

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Island School Lemon Shark Ecology Research Update

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Apex predators: powerful, majestic, misunderstood and we’re not just talking about the shark research team. In the past few weeks, we have strived to further our understanding of the importance of lemon sharks in the Bahamian ecosystem. Lemon sharks are essential to the marine ecosystems of The Bahamas because they balance the populations of other species and prevent trophic cascades. Our study focuses on the habitats that are most important to juvenile lemon shark survival and health. The main purpose of this study is to measure the relative abundance of the lemon sharks in three distinct ecosystems throughout Eleuthera, to gain a better understanding of their habitat preference and use. The three areas we are examining include mangrove creeks, flats and sandy beaches. Continue reading →