All posts by teamcomm
Student Update: Deep Clean and Kayak
The first kayak group finishes their 8-day today. As we prepare for their return to campus, student Jessa VanderWeide took a moment to reflect on the moment she learned which kayak group she was in.
At about 5:00pm on Thursday afternoon on the Island School campus, the girls’ dorm was in the midst of our 2nd deep clean. As clothes were being thrown across the room, and brooms were gliding across the floor, a high pitch scream came from Girls Dorm North. Although you may think this is bizarre, it’s truly not: just your average day. Music was blaring from the common room as we continued to clean and clean and clean (oh, and clean). Our usual song was playing-Stolen Dance by Milky Chance- as we continued to prance around, removing all existence of dirt, sand, and hair that builds up as the weeks go by. Quite possibly, this deep clean was needed.
All of the sudden the whole dorm erupted in a loud scream. Girls were running around like maniacs- also not unusual. But something was different this time. A second later a loud voice echoed through our humble abode: “KAYAK GROUPS ARE UP!” This was a moment we all had waited for. Several girls threw their mops down and sprinted out the door, only to be brought back a minute later by the news that we had to finish our deep clean BEFORE we saw the groups. At this news, we completely changed into beast mode. The floor was being swept in half the time, and mops were flying around the dorm like they were magic- and everyone was lending a hand. The fact that we would soon find out our kayak groups excited us so much that we then worked as a well-oiled machine to finish the remainder of the deep clean. Teamwork like never before. As the last beds were made and towels hung, we all sprinted out the doors, down the stairs, and to the dining hall. Once again, screams were heard, and excitement was more than present for the kayak trips and next 50 days of this Island School adventure.
-Jessa VanderWeide
Meet your Caciques of the week!
With only half the students on campus, this week’s Caciques have done a great job of setting the tone and bringing energy to campus.
Name: Olivia
Where are you from?: Colorado Springs, CO
How did you find out about The Island School?: Through Colorado College, where there are a lot of alum.
Name one thing not many people know about you: I feel like people know me very well here. I started my own non-profit!
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: I didn’t know I would go diving every week for Marine Eco
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: I want to have tea with the Queen of England and babysit prince George
Name: Hanna
Where are you from?: San Francisco, CA
How did you find out about The Island School?: My brother went to HMI, so I too wanted to go to a semester school.
Name one thing not many people know about you: I’m terrified of birds!
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: I didn’t know that we had free time to explore the island!
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: I’m named after my Great Great Aunt– Margarent Hannaway. Apparently she was a rebellious woman in her time. I would like to meet her.
Name: Nally
Where are you from?: Long Island, The Bahamas
How did you find out about The Island School?: My Combined Science teacher who’s originally from Eleuthera.
Name one thing not many people know about you: I am the Jr. Minister of Tourism in Eleuthera.
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: I can’t have food in the dorms!
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: LeBron James
Name: Hayden
Where are you from?: Charlottesville, VA
How did you find out about The Island School?: I go to Lawrenceville
Name one thing not many people know about you: I’m extremely afraid of spiders!
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: There’s an enforced bedtime
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: Winston Churchill
Name: Khalil
Where are you from?: New York City
How did you find out about The Island School?: I go to Lawrenceville
Name one thing not many people know about you: I’m part German
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: No inversions allowed
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: Bruce Lee’s martial arts teacher– Yip Man
Student Update: Exploration
Several days a week, students have time dedicated in their schedule to “exploration” of the local area. Here are two takes on the value of that time.
The Island School is situated beside an area that was formerly a resort. The resort opened in 1972 and included cottages, a clubhouse, water towers, and a golf course. Sadly, the resort went bankrupt in 1984 and no longer exists, however the structures still do. Once you brave the 4:15 pm sign-out line in the faculty office, and push your way through the mob trying to get helmets, you are home free on your way to exploration. The classic exploration routine is to hop on your bike, get to the Marina Store as fast as possible, buy indulgence food, then head to sunset beach. While we all need that once in a while, exploration time is named such for a reason. My most memorable exploration times have consisted of exploring the abandoned area. Whether it be walking through the concrete ruins of the former resort, or sitting in the hammock at No Name beach looking for sharks, exploration time never disappoints. One of the best exploration times that I have had was a couple Sunday’s ago. A group of about 14 of my friends and I spent the day exploring the inner loop, snorkeling, and devoting time to new places. The day consisted of trying to get lost in the inner loop, exploring high rock, getting a communal snack, and then heading to sunset beach to play beach volleyball, swim, and lay in the sun. That is a typical exploration time for Island School students, a ‘tingum’ we will remember for the rest of our lives.
-Olivia Rask
Here at the Island School, we’re lucky enough to be the recipients of unfettered freedom. There aren’t many other places where, three times a week (or less if we have yet another deep clean), the adults responsible for your wellbeing tell you, “Have fun exploring the wilderness!” That allowance of our own time—truly doing what ever we want to do—is incredibly freeing. However, at the Island School, that freedom can sometime flicker and disappear like a mirage. Most of the time we are working hard, nose to the grindstone, with everyone stressing out about the workload that is put upon the student body. In our three study hours, there is always just enough time to finish everything to you to get done, but it’s always a constant struggle to get to that next paper or homework reading. Even though it’s hard, I think that our curriculum here is one of the most interesting things I’ve ever been a part of. Our full understanding of the place we live in is refreshing. Despite the fact that we are pressed into this hard schedule, and that’s why it feels so good to get time to unwind and explore.
-Hal Triedman
Student Update: Dish Crew
Every day, advisories team up to tackle the post meal dishes. On Thursdays, Olivia and Tom Bunn’s advisories can be found jamming to music as they scrub, sweep and mop. Here’s what student Noelle Henderson has to say about dish crew.
Scrubbing each dish to the beat of the music, Thursday dish crew gets ready to tackle the big dinner dishes. From 6:50 to 7:15 we have one focus: finish the dishes. As I turn up my dish crew playlist, we all mentally prepare for the rush of dirty plates that are about to land themselves in our sanitized hands. One by one we scrub down each dish and pass it down the assembly line to be sanitized and washed again. While our hands simultaneously scrub, our voices sing in unison. Although the rush of dinner dish crew is an exciting part of the experience, the best part comes when we clean the last dish and move onto the mops. Only two people can mop at a time, but no one is allowed to leave until the whole job is done. While those two lucky candidates mop away, every member of Thursday dish crew, also known as the best dish crew ever, dances around them. Smiles and laughter illuminate the dish room. Students, Teachers, and CEI researchers all come together and let themselves go for these few minutes. Forgetting about the homework, research or grading we all have to do later that night, we allow ourselves to be swept away by the moment and the rhythm of the music. Although I have always associated cleaning dishes with a punishment, here at the Island School it has become a Thursday tradition that I actually look forward too.
-Noelle
Alumni Spotlight: Carter Brown (S’09)!
Congratulations to Spring 2009 alumnus Carter Brown on his impressive finish at The Seneca7 Relay Race this past weekend in Geneva, NY. He and his other 6 teammates, team “Fish Out of Water”, were just one team among 223 that entered the relay race. They had hoped to finish in the top 100 but ended up surprising and impressing themselves by finishing in 19th place overall and 8th place in the mixed team category! It took the team almost 10 hours to complete the race. Congratulations, Carter!
Meet your Caciques of the week!
This week’s Caciques helped guide the student body through a rigorous academic week and kept things light with a campus-wide game of assassin (the winner has yet to be crowned). Here’s a little bit about them.
Name: Margaret Kelly
Where are you from?: Concord, MA
How did you find out about The Island School?: My sister went here is SP13
Name one thing not many people know about you: I have a birthmark in the inside of my ear.
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: That morning exercise is actually fun!
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: Jesse McCartney– he’s a teen pop sensation!
Name: Stephen Gallagher
Where are you from?: Fairfield, CT
How did you find out about The Island School?: My neighbor, Caroline Lewis, went.
Name one thing not many people know about you: I’ve lived all over the place– Ireland, Singapore and Jamaica. I have a slight Irish accent.
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: I didn’t know we would have so much freedom as we do.
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: Julian Casablanca– he’s the singer for the Strokes.
Name: Locke Curtis
Where are you from?: Asheville, NC
How did you find out about The Island School?: My mom knew about it for some reason. But they came and spoke at my school.
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: You’re literally on the ocean! You can hear waves at night before you go to sleep.
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: Jon Stewart!
Name: Jessie Gray
Where are you from?: Freeport, ME
How did you find out about The Island School?: Because lots of people in my school go. Lucy, this semester’s brother went. We talked about IS a lot.
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: They make their own biodiesel
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: That’s a big question! Bob Marley and Rosa Parks, at a dinner, together at Island School.
Name: Hal Triedman
Where are you from?: Brookline, MA
How did you find out about The Island School?: Because a lot of my family has gone!
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: That it’s possible to have 15hr days every single day.
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: Herbie Hancock
Good Luck K1!
The first kayak group headed out this morning! We’re looking forward to hearing their stories in 8 days.
Student Update: Research
Students have been busy this week pouring over the data they have collected all semester in Research class and trying to make sense of their results. Here’s what student Khalil has to say about his research experience.
In a twenty-minute boat ride from The Island School boathouse, you may see a buoy. Beneath this buoy or pair of buoys there is a rope that reaches eight-hundred to one-thousand one-hundred meters beneath the water, leading to 22-26 hooks catching sharks and occasionally bony fish, or it holds a 7 foot cage holding gulper sharks and Cuban dogfish and a few cameras for The Cape Eluethera Institute and Island School scientists to investigate the post-release mortality rate and factors effecting the mortality rate of gulper sharks and Cuban dogfish. In a group of six Island School students and two CEI researchers as teachers, we are researching to study and find the death rate of gulper sharks and Cuban dogfish after they have been caught and released on long-lines as by-catch by commercial fisheries. We also study the factors that affect the mortality rates. In doing this research project I have had a lot of fun, and we have become experts in gulper shark and Cuban dogfish taxonomy, and stress responses, and we are great at pulling up long-lines even in hard-rocking waves and rain. We joke with our teacher, telling him that we will save the sharks, and that his spirit animal is a Cuban dogfish, even though our goal is to inform fishery management, and everyone knows his spirit animal is actually a cheetah. All in all I have learned a lot and had a lot of fun in Shark research.
Student Update: Free diving
Every Wednesday and Sunday students have the opportunity to rise early and go for a morning free dive. Student Nat Davenport took some time this week to reflect on what free diving means to him.
My experience at The Island School has been an onslaught of new activities and things to do. That being said, one constant in my life here has been free diving. Ever since that first Wednesday morning I have been to every single one since then. I have found that it really relaxes me and clears my mind of everything except the task at hand. I have had a lot of fun seeing myself progress over the course of the semester and can’t wait to see where I end up.