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Cacique Update

Cacique Update June 29, 2012

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During our first day of SCUBA diving, Weston and I, Lizzie, were the two Caciques. Having opposite amounts of experience, I was extremely nervous, whereas Weston was eager to jump in. The first dive did not sit well with me. I hopped out of the water and went to lunch, but could not stop thinking about my second dive in only forty-five minutes. When I reached the bottom of my second dive, my fears suddenly melted away as I explored the beautiful, Bahamian scenery. Although my SCUBA diving experience got off to a rocky start, I couldn’t help but love the beautiful scenery 25 feet below the surface.

My name is Weston Albury and I was one of the Caciques yesterday and Wednesday night. I was chosen by Tommy and Larissa for my amazing energy and uplifting attitude. As part of the SCUBA program for the first week we had a really fun couple of days. I was part of team barracuda and we had a really fun time. On the first day we did a confined water dive off the dock. After lunch we went on our first open water dive to a place called the saddle. This is the name of the dive site because the bottom is in the shape of a saddle. I loved diving in the saddle because there were these really cool walls that went up the sides of the saddle that had some juvenile fairy basslets. Today I will be SCUBA certified and can go diving with anyone!

Kayak Caciques Silas and Aiko!

While on the K1 trip we stopped and learned about mangrove trees. Continue reading →

Cacique Update

Cacique Update June 26, 2012

Hello Island School parents!

This is the first of many daily updates from the Caciques! “Cacique” is a Lucayan word for leader, so each day we pass off the Cacique role to two new student leaders of the day. Even after only two full days on campus, we’ve already had a handful of great experiences! One of the most notable was our float down the Current Cut, a small man-made channel with a quick current running through it. During the course of our dive, we encountered a plethora of colorful aquatic life including Nassau groupers, barracudas, nurse sharks, schoolmaster snapper, and jacks. George’s ankles have been severely bitten by bugs because he has no hair in said location. But don’t worry Mr. and Mrs. Reich, he is thriving in this uniquely humid environment, and is maintaining his perfectly coiffed hair which we all enjoy.

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On a different note, the morning exercise has been both challenging and exciting. Continue reading →

Deep Creek Middle School

DCMS Book Camp

This week, Deep Creek Middle School is hosting its first Book Camp. The enthusiastic campers are reading together, writing poetry, playing word games, and learning more about the publishing industry. Organized by former DCMS teacher Megan Kelly (2006 – 2010) and assisted by DCMS alumna Jhane Gibson (2011), the camp’s main texts are The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda and Wonder. Campers will interview the authors of both books, as well as the Head of Macmillan Publishing’s Caribbean Division, in order to learn more about how books are created.

The first day’s activities included creating their own Origami Yodas, designing postcards that will feature their poetry, and writing six-word memoirs to introduce themselves (it’s harder than it sounds!). A few of the awesome memoirs: “My brain means everything to me,” “I’m nice and beautiful, don’t hate,” “Sometimes the strong aren’t strong enough,” and “My headaches come from Nicki Minaj.” The fun has only just begun at Book Camp!

You can read more about Book Camp here.

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Cacique Update

The Summer Term Students Have Arrived!

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After many weeks of anticipation, the Summer Term 2012 students have finally arrived on campus! They spent a packed first day together, beginning with a short snorkel to a wreck off of Boys Dorm Beach. David touched a sea cucumber for the first time and Bethlehem discovered her love of sea biscuits – a small glimpse into the innumerable new discoveries awaiting each student over the course of the summer. Later in the morning, we talked about the geography of The Bahamas and Eleuthera, and then raced each other in a sustainable systems scavenger hunt as a first introduction to some of The Island School’s eco-friendly systems. Students this semester are split into “work groups” and assigned a color.

Energy levels are high and students and faculty are bursting with excitement as we hit the ground running for an intense next six weeks. Stay tuned for more from updates from the Summer Term 2012 team!

Daily Update, Uncategorized

Daily Update June 6, 2012

Yesterday morning nearly all of girls dorm woke up at the crack of dawn to watch the sunrise from sunrise beach. We had moments of chatter and silence as gleaming colorful sun rays peered through the clouds. We are going to more forward together even as we part. Each and every member of this community in close to my heart. Transitioning home will most likely be even more difficult than transitioning here but I am confident that with the continued support from each other and consistent Island School reunions we will continue this bond for many years to come. These students will do wonderful things, I am proud of each and every one of them. The Island School may in fact be the most wonderful place in my world, I will continue hold this place dear to my heart. March on Bahamaland. [slideshow]

 

Daily Update

Daily Update June 4, 2012

Monday was a day full of Demonstrations of Learning (DOLs), a chance for all 49 of us to reflect and demonstrate what we have learned and taken from this semester. We speak in front of invited guests around campus and then answer any following questions. A chance for us to be honest with ourselves, the last 100 days, and the people that transformed it. It is filmed by our advisory and will be sent off to our sending schools. Mine was scheduled at 9:40 in the floating gazebo. I was anxious and shaky. Unsure of how my words will translate to others, I prepared a speech and simply recited it to the group. I used a slideshow of my photography from the semester to display my artistic vision and quite honestly distract the audience from my words. My observations, statements, and emotions began to pool as I became more and more in touch with the words I was reciting. Continue reading →

Daily Update

Daily Update June 1, 2012

Like many things at Island School, advisory time is coming to an end. Thursday evening my advisory including some of our extended advisory went out for a final meal. On the car ride back to campus one of my peers turned to the van and said, “ It started with conch and ended with conch.” The whole van bursted into a eruption of laughter, as I sat there puzzled questioning why my meal of choice was so humorous. They reminded me of our first advisory time when we biked to a beach near campus and moments into the afternoon my foot was punctured by a conch and painting the beach brick red. These new faces came to my rescue without hesitation. I am honestly unsure I knew each of their names at the time but there is no doubt they would be my crutch to the finish line. Beth my advisor has been more than supportive during my variable emotional experience here at The Island School. Continue reading →

Daily Update

Daily Update May 31, 2012

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Finals week is passing by in a blur. We spent our Wednesday morning in research final oral assessment. In the beginning of the semester my research advisors Aaron and Alicia would play the daunting question game. I would often get frustrated when it seemed that just about every question I asked them was turned right around and it was required that I work through it in pieces. Although this tactic left me often impatient and boiling over time I could see a new development in my way of thinking. I had no Google, no effortless way out. Now it seems that nothing is more rewarding than answering my own puzzling questions, to know that I withhold the knowledge I never knew was present. When our final oral assessment rolled around I knew that the hard work that I have put into molding my intellectual approach to think critically had prepared me for this day. Continue reading →

Deep Creek Middle School

Maxey in the Classroom at DCMS

Chris Maxey has been teaching grade 9 math at DCMS for the past 6 weeks. He is balancing the needs of preparing for a government exam with the best practices of using math as a language to analyze and communicate about interesting questions in our world. Here he is pictured working through statistics problems about a mango farmer under the mango tree.

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Cape Eleuthera Institute, research

Skylar Miller (S’03) Leads Lionfish Education and Outreach in The Bahamas

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When Island School alum Skylar Miller (S’03) returned to Eleuthera in the summer of 2010, she was looking for an opportunity that bridged her passion for teaching concepts of marine biology with field-based research. “When I heard the Cape Eleuthera Institute’s mission of ‘Research, Education, and Outreach’ I thought: That’s perfect. That’s exactly what I want to do,” Miller reflected. She has since become a pioneer for that mission. Her collaborative work has resulted in the creation of CEI’s Lionfish Research and Education Program, in partnership with the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) and Simon Fraser University (SFU).

The scope of her work is expanding into the future, with many exciting opportunities to forge new partnerships and extend lionfish programming throughout the Caribbean. “Lionfish invasion is a regional issue,” she described. “There are lots of countries similar to The Bahamas’ situation, politically, economically, socially. We need to consider how we can learn from one another. Looking at communication and how we can share ideas is going to be important as we move forward, as we figure out a solution to the lionfish problem.”

This fall, Miller will begin graduate work at the University of the West Indies, Barbados. Continue reading →