“A Different Kind of Homesickness”
Caciques: Daisy Spencer and Scott Endzel
“I was really homesick the last hour of being on the camp site, but as soon as my kayak hit the sand at school, I realized I was Island sick.”—Hunter Foote, K1 trip
Going in to our first week of official Island School life, it’s starting to get more exciting around campus. The first groups of scuba divers are now officially certified as of 3:30 this afternoon. During the scuba certification, Continue reading
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Caciques: Sarah S. and Jack
Our first week at The Island School has come quickly to an end. As the students and faculty begin to know each other more, we are all realizing that not only is this our home for the next three months—it is also our family. Although many hearts on campus are longing for the comfort of their own family, the environment at The Island School creates a sense of community and connectedness that only a home like The Island School itself can provide. Tonight at the dinner circle we demonstrated just how much we support each other. As we stood in a tightly Continue reading
By Dorothy Long and Augie Cummings
I woke up sweating my brains out at 6:15 this morning. Twelve sleepy “young leaders” surround me; this is one of Chris Maxey’s affectionate names for the students. It was still dark because the sun had not yet risen. This was just a start to all the water Continue reading
Caciques Brandon Gell and Sarah Francisco
A Day of Exploration – September 4th
Slowly I, along with fellow leaders, descended into the beautifully surreal waters. As the exchange of oxygen for carbon dioxide persisted, the need for air in this unfathomable world became increasingly more essential. Continuing our underwater Continue reading
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Caciques: Chris Daniell and Taylor Schendel
Today was a busy day on The Island School campus. For our first math class, we headed out to the sandbar a couple miles offshore. Here we applied our math skill to find the distance to the horizon. As Chris was explaining how “ooids” (the sand particles) form, a pod of dolphins swam towards the anchored Continue reading
Caciques: Aubrey Faggen and Will Overman
After a great nights sleep, we started off bright and early with our first morning swim. We began with a light jog to the ocean, from there we set off on our half mile swim which lead us around the inside curve of a cove. Although some of us struggled, we all pushed through and made it to the end! Even with some tired bodies in the water, we all still managed to strive for another ten minutes of treading water. And then again, we all sprinted back to campus with our masks in our hands, and Continue reading
Caciques: Garneisha Pinder and Clay Bales
Although we had a sleep-in today, it was hard to appreciate its true value considering 7:15 is an early wake-up for most throughout their summer. We began our morning activities with a class entitled “When are we?” This activity was guided by a quotation: “We are not here to learn about people from the past, we are here to learn from people with a past.” Based on this quotation, we split up into groups and became very curious audiences. Joseph, Justin, Marco, and Bernadette all spoke about their personal histories. Through this, we were able to get a better understanding of how locals live on the island, how some arrived at the island, and the cultures that they come from. This activity made students Continue reading
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While I was holding up an old conch shell telling the story of how the conch fishery is in trouble all over the tropical Atlantic a friendly octopus reached out from the shell and began climbing down my arm. This was an awesome example of how the outdoor classroom is always unpredictable and exciting — no doubt creating a sense of wonder for all of us as we begin the Fall 2010 journey.
At sunrise exercise this morning I had dipped my head down into the bright underwater sky. Little Jellyfish everywhere. New to the island, I perked my head up, alarmed. Treading water slightly quicker, I asked David whether the little creatures dotting the water below us were of any concern.
“They just sting a little,” he replied.
“They’re like the mosquitoes of the sea.”
They have a mosquito for everywhere here, I think to myself.
Later that day, I can chart the mosquito bites, from ankle to knee: from “Orion’s Belt of Irritation” to “The Southern Cross of Misery” There is “Scratchy Major” and also “Scratchy Minor.” I sit at my new desk, in my new office, in my new home, at Continue reading
On Sunday The Island School welcomed students from Promise Academy and the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) to campus for a week-long experience. Twenty-three high school students and seven mentors made the trip from New York City to Cape Eleuthera to learn how to swim, SCUBA dive, and kayak. The students will also learn about the various systems and research going at The Island School and CEI. Here is an update from Wednesday’s HCZ caciques Brandie and Tyriek.
Cacique Update- August 11, 2010
Today I overcame my fears and started swimming in the water. At first I was scared Continue reading