by Caciques J.P and Nathan

Today was a Thursday and all the students woke early to hear the birds singing and waves gently crashing on Boys dorm beach. There was a dark thundercloud hovering over the horizon, which foreshadowed the much-needed rain to come. We circled up and lifted our head to the Bahamian Flag, which was hardly moving due to no wind. As we sang the words we have been so familiarized with over the past month and a half, a contagious yawn had spread throughout the students and the National Anthem was not the best one we had conducted this semester. After that not so pleasant spectacle, the students parted into their running or swim tracks for the morning. The swimmers had a timed lap around triangle cut while the runners had a timed run around the loop; everyone had showed much improvement from their previous times. It is exciting knowing how much people have improved since we first arrived, Continue reading →

by Caciques James and Adam

Today was a significant day for Island School students. It was the last art class with everyone together until after eight-day kayak rotations. And, we were blessed with the presence of Antonius Roberts, a famous Bahamian artist, and his thought-provoking presentation. Roberts has worked within the communities around him to create his artwork. By involving multiple ideas and perspectives into his work, he is able to create a product that inspires meaning into the mind of all the members of the community. After his insightful presentation, the students were able to show him our own work. Roberts thought that our work was, “creative, clever and thoughtful.” We were assigned to create art for advocacy, Continue reading →

by Caciques Arbin and Lizzy

Today started off strong at 6:30 in the morning with our second official timed run-swim of the semester! For those who don’t know about run-swims, they are pretty much what they sound like: a mixture of running and swimming. As I heard the horn go off, signaling the beginning of the run-swim, I threw myself in the water and began freestyling the first swimming cut. I was ready to shave a few minutes off my time, and was willing to push myself past my limits. With each running cut, my legs began to think for my body. Although my head was telling me to slow down, I remembered back to when I was doing the four-mile run with Justin Symington many weeks ago. I was at the three mile mark and ready to stop. He was running by my side and told me, “This is all in your head; if you needed to keep going, your body could sustain this pace for hours.” His advice helped me to suppress my mental limits and focus on pushing my self past what I previously thought was possible. Continue reading →

“An Island School Christmas”

by Caciques Aldis and Lindsey

Mail arrived yesterday and for faculty and students alike, it felt as if Christmas had come early. Drawing near the fishbowl, where the mail was being distributed, the excitement was palpable. Watching students open their packages and letters, these famous lines sprang to mind:

‘Twas the morning before mail arrived and all through the school

Not a creature was stirring not even David Miller.

The fishbowl was cleaned by the chore crew with care,

In hopes that the mail soon would be there.

The students were nestled all snug in their bunks,

While visions of letters danced through their heads. Continue reading →