http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrWcMvAuufs&feature=youtu.be
All posts by islandschoolblog
Happy Mother’s Day!
BESS Students’ Turtle Tagging Adventures
This fall, 2 BESS (Bahamas Environmental Steward Scholars) students, Brian Higgs (F’11) and William Sturrup (F’11), attended The Island School. Now, this semester, as part of their full year BESS scholarship, they are interns at Bahamas National Trust and BREEF (Bahamas Reef Environmental Educational Foundation), respectively. Brian and William recently went on a two-week expedition, tagging turtles throughout The Bahamas. You can read about their trip here: BESS Newsletter.
Dartmouth PhD Student Studying Bahamian Lizards at CEI
A PhD student from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, Mike Logan, will be on the Island School campus until May 31st collecting data for his research on thermal adaptation in lizards. Mike’s PhD focuses on the response to climate change in lizards, and in the Bahamas he is conducting transplant experiments to examine how traits like the thermal sensitivity of running speed might evolve in response to environmental warming. This May, Mike is capturing roughly 100 individual Anolis sagrei (Bahamian brown anoles) from a shady habitat on the interior of the island, measuring their running speeds as a function of body temperature in the lab, and then releasing them onto a sun-baked peninsula. Each lizard will be individually marked, so that when Mike returns in late August he can recapture all the survivors from the sunny habitat and figure out which lizards were “selected for.”
His hypothesis is that the lizards with the highest thermal tolerance (highest ‘optimal temperature for running’) Continue reading
Alumni Advisory Board Annual On-Island Meeting
This past weekend, 6 members from The Island School’s Alumni Advisory Board (AAB) made the trek to South Eleuthera for their annual on-island board meeting. During their few days at The Island School, they had the opportunity to connect with Spring 2012 students, as well as hear about everything that’s happening on the Cape, making sure that their alumni perspective is being heard both by staff and The Island School Board of Directors. All 6 attendees left the island with lots of energy to go home and spread the word of all the things they heard and learned this weekend.
The AAB was created in 2008 to reengage Island School alumni and add structure to the Island School alumni community that has spread from Eleuthera across the globe. The AAB promotes effective global citizenship by supporting connectivity and collaboration among the alumni community and through preservation of the mission and vision of the Island School for future students. Every student’s Island School experience is different, and with an ever-changing campus landscape and research scope many returning alumni are often confronted with a different school than they remember. The AAB works to ensure that all alumni feel connected to The Island School, regardless of miles traveled or time passed.
If you have any questions about the Alumni Advisory Board or alumni support, please feel free to contact alumni@islandschool.org.
Bonefish Flats Group Research Update
A couple weeks ago the Bonefish Flats group took a trip to Page Creek in order to gather information about the habitat that Bonefish live in.
The flat that we went to was surrounded by the ocean and land. In the beginning of it the depth ranged from 0-3 feet, deeper into the flat it was only a foot deep. Some fish populations included yellowtail snapper, schoolmaster fish. There were also red mangroves all over. Flats are generally shallow areas. They are an abundance of mangroves and small fish that use the mangroves for protection. Present in the mangroves are species such as small fish, echinoderms, Cassiopeia, etc. In the flat that we went to the water varied from 0-3 feet. The beginning of the flat was deepest, and then it got shallower. In the flat we found yellow tail snapper, schoolmaster fish, blue crabs, etc. There was sand and turtle grass on the floor. When we went there it was low tide and the sun was high in the sky. This caused for the water to be much warmer than if the sun was not out and it was high tide because the more water there is the more energy it takes to heat it up. It was important for us to take a trip to the flat and observe it because this is the habitat for Bonefish.
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We went into the flats to have hands on experience with our studies. We went into the field to collect, observe, and tag Bonefish to have a better idea of where we should take out studies. Continue reading
Hallig House Grand Opening!
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The Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) welcomed government officials, Bahamian dignitaries and esteemed guests to the grand opening of its Hallig House. The event was celebrated within the context of the One Eleuthera Foundation’s Earth Day Weekend, as a symbol of how community partnerships with shared vision can support a future of sustainable development in The Bahamas.
Chris Maxey, co-founder of the Cape Eleuthera Island School, encouraged event guests to envision the impact of innovative green design technologies: “Imagine building systems that are a net exporter of energy and water, that use the sun to heat water and to cool living spaces, that process waste in a responsible way that helps restore ecosystems and beautify the seascape.”
Hallig House was designed as an educational model for island nations. Led by Warren Wagner of W3 Architects and designed by a team of conservation systems specialists, the building features innovative elements, which solve specific regional issues. The building’s structure and shape, construction materials, and renewable energy and waste management systems all demonstrate how local and national development can maximize locally available resources while minimizing impact on local environments.
The opening marked the first time that the Cape Eleuthera Island School has been honored by the presence of His Excellency Sir Arthur Foulkes Governor-General to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. He gave the keynote address at the event, seen in the video below. Continue reading
K4 Heads Out to Sea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CWPs80OxE0&feature=youtu.be
Island School Supports Ride for Hope
Saturday April 14, 2012 The Cape Eleuthera Island School supported Eleuthera’s annual Ride for Hope, which raises money for cancer caring centers and cancer treatment programs. The Cape Eleuthera Island School has been supporting and donating to the annual bicycle race benefit since the very first race was organized by Stephen Holowesko and Susan Holowesko Larson, long time friends of the school. This year, The Island School and Cape Eleuthera Institute had their highest participation in history with 23 riders from both organizaions. The group collectively rode more than 1,200 miles for the cause. John Dennis the Principle Managing director at Woodrock and Co., longtime rider and Island School alumi parent (Grace Dennis Su’10), sponsored the jerseys for the entire team. The sleek, professional and fashionable shirts were marked with the iconic Island School mutton snapper, Cape Eleuthera Foundation sea star, Cape Eleuthera Institute conch, and Deep Creek Middle School sand dollar. Though coveted by non-riders, Chris Maxey asserted “You gotta sweat to get the jersey.”
This year also marked another exciting first: it was the very first time that the entire campus has picked up and headed down island to support the even. Forty-eight students and additional faculty spent the day organizing, moving bikes, marking down participants as they crossed the finish line, and of course, cheering! One Island School student, Peter Graham, biked alongside his Potcake Cycling Club and finished with 50 miles under his tires.
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Enjoy the following reflection from the perspective of a student supporter and Ride for Hope volunteer Dana Colihan: Everyone thought that waking up at 6:15 for morning exercise was bad, until we had to wake up at 4:45 on Saturday morning. After a quick granola breakfast everyone hopped in the bus and we were on our way to Governor’s Harbor. We were going to support Ride For Hope, an annual bike ride for cancer awareness. Continue reading
Godspeed K1!
K1 headed out for their 8-day kayak expedition on Monday. Here they are, just moments before their departure…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cH_XkaRxzc&feature=youtu.be