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Student Update

Student Update September 21, 2012

Happy Friday once again!! Today is the last day that I get to write for the blog; we switch every two weeks. I really love writing for the blog, but I’m sure the next writer will have some really great experiences and insights about the Island School to share with you all back home.

Yesterday was an absolutely incredible day. It was one of those surreal days that really make you consider how lucky you are. In the morning, I had a three hour long Marine Ecology block. Sounds kind of tedious doesn’t it? Wrong. We didn’t spend a second of it in the classroom. Er… not in the traditional sense of the word “classroom” anyway. We went straight to the boathouse to set up our scuba gear, and then all piled onto the boat to go out to Tunnel Rock, one of the reefs in the area. We were each given a dive slate – like an underwater piece of paper – and descended 35 feet to the sea floor. Each buddy pair chose a spot along the reef to sit and observe for 30 minutes. Our assignment: write an underwater essay answering the prompt  Continue reading →

Student Update

Student Update September 20, 2012

It’s hard to believe that we are already so close to the end of the second academic week. The days are flying by so fast, it’s crazy. We have some special guests on campus for the rest of the week and this weekend; The Island School Alumni Board is visiting for some meetings and to participate in the Monster Run-Swim this weekend. At meals they sit with us and share their experiences at The Island School as well as listen to us talk about what it’s been like thus far for us. It’s nice to get some insight from someone who’s already been where we are. They’ve been joining us in morning exercise to prepare for the (roughly) 5 mile run and 1 mile swim that constitutes the monster of an event. For those of us who are not quite as daring, there is also an option to do a sprint Run-Swim – basically a shorter version of the Monster – to try to beat our personal best times. Needless to say, this Saturday is going to leave both us and our guests pretty tired and ready for a Sunday of rest.

We’ve started our first project in Art class and personally, I’m really excited (which is not something I usually am for an Art project). We recently watched a video about Andy Goldsworthy and his ephemeral artwork, so Continue reading →

Deep Creek Middle School

First Day of Community Outreach with Grade 9

In Community Outreach class this semester, grade nine DCMS students and their Island School buddies are tackling a topic that profoundly shapes all our of lives: food. How does food inform our cultural identities? How does what we eat affect our bodies and the environment? How do world events influence food availability? How is our current global food system unfair, and what can we do about it? By sharing home-cooked meals, taking field trips to farms, getting our hands dirty in the garden, and interviewing numerous Bahamian and international food experts, we look forward to exploring these questions.

We started things off today with a food scavenger hunt. In buddy pairs, students found examples of local and imported foods and interviewed Deep Creek farmers, storeowners, and residents—as well as had fun eating frozen tamarind cups and getting to know each other.

Check out these pictures of our first day!

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CEI, Educational Programs

GAP Program Update #3

By Calvin Clapp

Here in South Eleuthera, the past couple weeks have been somewhat of a blur. Whether the blame falls upon camping trips, scuba diving or research, there is no doubt that we have been fully engaged in life on the island. Last weekend, the interns organized a small camping trip to Surfer’s Beach. So we started bussin’ it down the island, making any of the necessary stops to make it a proper camping experience. After sharing stories and laughs, with the fire simmering down, we all headed to bed ready for a fun-filled day of aquatic activities. The last minute decision to camp was not regretted by anyone.

With drowsy eyes and with a trailing stench of campfire, we rolled back to campus ready to take on a couple days of learning in the field with our respective research groups. We soon realized that our recent camping trip was only a pre-game for our exclusive DIT (Down Island Trip) for the gaps and our leader, Scotty.

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This served as a great opportunity to explore and experience Continue reading →

Student Update

Student Update September 18, 2012

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Yesterday marked the beginning of the second academic week. Mondays are one of the busiest days of the week; we start the day with morning exercise, chores, personal space clean-up, and breakfast, and then head right into classes. After our three classes and lunch, we all piled into the vans and went to DCMS to visit our buddies and start brainstorming about our projects, and as soon as we got back to campus, we had meetings with our advisor about how the semester has been going for each of us individually. It was a pretty “typical” Monday, but I’ve mentioned before how un-typical a typical day here is. How often in a “typical” day back home do you get to go for a run along the beach with your classmates in the Bahamas? Or talk with visiting marine life photographers from Belgium? Or attend a presentation by Josh Goldman, the founder of one of the most innovative, new, sustainable fish farms?

I feel like throughout the last week, I’ve talked a lot about the Island School and what we do here, which I suppose is what I’m supposed to do given that I’m writing for the Island School Blog. But I would like to pay a little tribute to the island itself, as it really is a large part of what makes the experience. [slideshow]As I write this, I’m sitting on the dining hall deck, Continue reading →

Student Update

Student Update September 17, 2012

It’s been yet another busy but rewarding weekend at the Island School; Saturday was jam-packed with activities and yesterday, Sunday, we got a day to ourselves to relax and recover from the week. Saturday was our first Settlement Day, so we all went out to either Deep Creek or Tarpum Bay – two of the nearest settlements – to get to know some of the locals. Friday evening we were split into groups of anywhere from 3 to 6 people, and assigned to a local family. Our goal for the next two Saturdays is to interview and really come to understand the past of the families that we got to know this weekend. We’re supposed to record our semi-structured interviews and create a video presentation for History class. The idea is that the best way to learn the history of a place and a people is to learn from the people who actually lived that history. My group got to visit a woman by the name of Donna Lee, who works for the Ministry of Tourism. She offered us ice cold fruity drinks and we sat around her dining room table and talked to her for hours. Continue reading →

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Student Leadership Update – New Cacique Council

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Nathaniel, Kaitlin, Hope, Maren, and James. This week’s Cacique Council.

Each week, a group of students is selected for their unique potential as leaders to come together as the 5 student Cacique Council, “Cacique” meaning leader in ancient Lucayan. During that week, the group will plan special activities for their peers, run morning and evening circles, facilitate communication between students and faculty, and fulfill other important roles as needed. Members of the council are welcomed into the new role during Community Meeting, in which a public acknowledgement of each individual’s leadership qualities is read aloud. Enjoy these “Cacique Pass-Offs” written below. Join us in welcoming the first Cacique Council of the semester, and look forward to more student leadership updates in the coming weeks. Continue reading →

Cape Eleuthera Institute, CEI

CEI’s Kristal Ambrose as Guest Speaker at Bahamas National Trust

Last week the Bahamas National Trust hosted Kristal Ambrose, Aquaponics Technician at Cape Eleuthera Institute, as a public meeting guest speaker. The topic for the evening featured her internship to study plastics in the North Pacific Western Garbage Patch, an area highly concentrated with plastic debris and an environmental issue only just beginning to be studied by scientists. Kristal recounted her expedition, which sought to answer questions that explore what happens to plastics that enter the ocean, from ingestion by marine life, to absorption of harmful pollutants. The opportunity to share this experience with a Bahamian audience was especially important to Kristal, as her primary goal following this study is to find real solutions through education, research and outreach projects in her home country. After peaking the interest of one attendee at the BNT meeting, Kristal was approached to also share her experience with students at St. Andrews School where she spoke to two classes on Friday.

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Kristal’s study was supported by the BNT, Bahamas Reef Environment Foundation (BREEF) and The Nature Conservancy, all of whom were represented at the meeting Continue reading →

Student Update

Student Update September 13, 2012

The first academic week has kicked into full-swing here at the Island School. It’s hard to believe that it’s already Thursday! We’re all starting to realize that there is more than a little bit of truth to what we’ve been told all along; the days here seem to last forever but the weeks just fly by. With the first full academic week has come the some-what reliable schedule that many of us have been craving. With all the strangeness of being in a new place doing all of these crazy things, it’s nice to have a bit of a routine to rely on. Today, for example, we had exercise in the morning, chores and tidying up is being done right now, breakfast is in about a half hour, and right after that we have class. After morning classes and lunch, we will all go out in the field with our respective research groups for the first time. This is a somewhat typical day at the Island School. Granted, a “typical” day may look different for every student on any given day but that’s what keeps things interesting. Continue reading →

Cape Eleuthera Institute, CEI, research

Island School Students’ First Week of Research Class

Research classes kicked off this week for The Island School students. On Tuesday, students broke into their 8 different research groups and spent the afternoon getting to know their research advisors–members of the research team at the Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI). They also learned about the study they would be working on for the next 3 months. Thursday afternoon was their first field block, where they got out on the water or into the lab for the first time! The 8 studies being conducted this semester focus on shark ecology & physiology, the impact of climate change on bonefish & mangrove flats species, lionfish & reef fish population ecology, and sea turtle & conch abundance & distribution around South Eleuthera. These studies are well-established areas of research at CEI and as a result, many visitors and collaborators will be visiting our campus over the next few weeks to share their knowledge and expertise with the students.

Research class is an exciting opportunity for students to gain new skills in the field – from fish identification and handling to public speaking and PowerPoint creation. Students learn about and contribute to global conservation issues, work in small groups, and ultimately, have the experience of a lifetime!

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