We are excited to share this recently received photo of former faculty members, Chris & Jenn Bateman, from when they were in Sayulita, Mexico this past spring with their young family. Chris Bateman held a range of positions from environmental art teacher to Head of School at The Island School from 2005-2008. Jenn was the principal of DCMS during their time on-island. Congratulations on your beautiful, growing family and hopefully you’ll come back to visit us soon!
It is with our deepest sorrow that we recognize the passing of long-time friend and supporter of The Island School, Walter Lovejoy. He passed away this December after an amazing life. Two of his grandchildren graduated from The Island School–Emily Lovejoy in Fall 2007 and Alex Lovejoy in Spring 2002. In honor of their passed grandson and IS alum, Walter & Susan Lovejoy started the memorial Alex Lovejoy Scholarship. Every semester, the Lovejoy family awards a merit scholarship to an Island School student. Our thoughts go out to the Lovejoy family during this time and we cannot thank them enough for all their support over the years.
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Boy, how time does fly.
Today marked the completion of week five of our two months here on the Cape, and we couldn’t be happier–or busier, for that matter. We finished our Down Island Trip on Saturday and settled back into campus to continue work on our ISPs on Monday. We then spent the rest of the week diving into these projects–from collecting Amber Pen Shells, to completing conservation surveys in Rock Sound, to helping the lionfish team survey their patch reefs. After also spending some of our time leading the Branson School students, visiting for the week from California, through some of the exercises and routines Island School students get to experience every day, the weekend came and everybody had a chance to relax before tying up loose ends and prepping for our kayak trip. With all of our food, tents, and gear packed and set aside we will be ready to leave tomorrow morning after breakfast for five days out on the Caribbean Sea, and man what an experience it will be.
–Cole Meyerhoff
During Hope College’s winter break, a group biology and geology students came down to The Island School to learn about geology, biology, and sustainability on a small island like Eleuthera. Check out the article here: Hope College Students Study Ecology on Eleuthera.
Thank you to Chip Wierda (F’09) for sending this along!
The Spring 2012 Island School semester has officially begun! Here is a photo of the group at the Welcoming Ceremony in the Boathouse. It’s going to be a great semester!
Exactly two years ago, Helen Bourdeaux (S’10), was just beginning her Island School journey as a student. Last week, Helen, now an alumna, stopped by the Cape with her family to check out the school and reconnect with some familiar faces. It was great to see you, Helen! If any other alumni are going to be in the area for spring breaks, please let us know by emailing alumni@islandschool.org.
This fall, Cape Eleuthera Institute’s conch research intern from the College of the Bahamas, Tarran Simms, facilitated the donation of 500 masks & snorkels from Dolphin Cay at Atlantis resort in Nassau to Ron Knight, Island School Director of SCUBA operations and waterfront manager. Knight in turn, divided the bulk of the snorkel gear among every 4th, 5th, and 6th grader between Tarpum Bay & Deep Creek, where the excited students and teachers accepted appreciatively. Knight also intends to distribute the remaining gear to student of DCMS in Deep Creek, Eleuthera.
It’s hard to believe it, but we’ve reached the middle of our time here. Looking ahead, we really need to make the most of our remaining time. Looking back, we had one heck of a week!
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We began work in earnest on our Independent Student Projects, meeting with our respective mentors to figure out what form our end results will take. My mentor, Ian, seems pretty gung-ho about posters, so that’s what I plan on doing. We also continued to play host to the Warner family, eventually meeting with them regarding their assignments. I can’t vouch for the other mentor/mentee meetings, but this was a great chance for us to step into the shoes of a teacher and–in turn–a wonderful learning experience.
But the real highlight of the week was our Down Island trip. We headed out at the crack of ten on Thursday, ready for an adventure. And boy, did we ever find it! In the space of three endless days, we: Continue reading
Ernie Parizeau, parent of IS alumni Kate (F’03), Doug (S’06), and Molly (S’10), gave a great TED talk at Middlebury College this fall titled “Fortune Favors the Bold”. Check it out!