For his weekly update, student Stephen Gallagher made a short video to capture his first 45 days at The Island School.
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Meet Your Caciques of the Week!
This week’s Caciques finished off another great week. Here’s a little bit about them.
Name: Jessa
Where are you from?: Grand Rapids, MI
How did you find out about The Island School?: A lot of my family has gone– brother and cousins!
Name one thing not many people know about you: I have an obsession with painting my nails.
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: All the Harkness discussions we have.
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: Kristen Wiig or Nelson Mandela
Name: Sophie
Where are you from?: Lawrenceville, New Jersey
How did you find out about The Island School?: I’ve known about it a long time because I go to Lawrenceville
Name one thing not many people know about you: I’m able to snap my toes.
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: I knew it would be beautiful– but I didn’t know it would be this beautiful! I can’t get over the color of the water here.
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: Someone Funny– Jennifer Aniston!
Name: Scott
Where are you from?: Pennington, New Jersey
How did you find out about The Island School?: My friend that I sail with went.
Name one thing not many people know about you: I was the school spirit mascot
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: It’s a lot bigger than you would think, because “everywhere” is sort of your campus.
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: I would like to meet Andy Irons, professional surfer
Name: Jeremy
Where are you from?: Bronx, NYC
How did you find out about The Island School?: Girls from my boarding program went and Maxey is close friends with a director of my program.
Name one thing not many people know about you: I used to play clarinet
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: The essential vibe– it’s very open. The sense of community is very unique.
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: Definitely Leonardo Da Vinci…he’s been my favorite person in history, an awesome dude.
Name: Wyatt
Where are you from?: Newton, MA
How did you find out about The Island School?: My friend, Cam Gordon (my neighbor) told me to apply. He said he’d refuse to talk to me if I didn’t.
Name one thing not many people know about you: Not everyone knows I play the guitar.
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: I didn’t know that much about CEI, which is so cool!
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: Thomas Jefferson, because he was a founding father and brilliant!
Student Update: Dorm Living
A native of New York City, student Leo Batali found the quieter pace of life on Eleuthera an adjustment at first. A little over a month in to the semester, however, here’s what he has to see about his new home: the boy’s dorm.
I have never lived with a group of kids in all my life, I have never gone away to sleep away camp, or gone to boarding school, every night I would come back to my house and sleep in my room in my bed with no one else in the house but my brother, my parents, my dog and I. But coming from New York City I am constantly surrounded by millions of people: their yelling, their screaming, and their trash; but when I’m in my apartment I am secluded. It is quiet, clean and organized and sorted the way the I like it, but even if I were to live on the hectic streets of the City it still would not compare to living in boys dorm. It is by far one of the most fun experiences of my life. You might think that living with the same twenty-seven boys for one-hundred days might get tiring and boring, but I can assure you it does not, at least up to the thirty-ninth day. From the moments where everyone is freaking out about homework deadlines to singing and dancing to weird alternative music to rushing your personal space to get in the first shower of the day I am not able to get enough of boys dorm.
Leo Batali
Student Update: SCUBA diving
This week students have been busy putting their recently acquired SCUBA certifications to use in their Marine Ecology and Research classes. Here’s what students Delphine Carroll and Whit Swanson have to say about their diving experiences.
One of the highlights at the Island School for me has been the SCUBA diving experience. Getting certified opened up a whole new world to me underwater. As part of our Marine Ecology Class, we go diving to observe a section of a reef. Only a few feet in dimension, the patch reef that I was assigned to is small compared to the vast expanse of the ocean within which it sits; yet it is so abundant in life. Sea fans adorn the reef on all sides, waving like joyful flags in a parade. In the centre of the arrangement, sticking straight up, is a coral finger that surpasses the rest, forming the pinnacle of the structure. Fish of all shapes, sizes and colors dart around, peep out of holes, and weave between coral and algae, playing tag. Between the masses of network algae, barrel sponges rise up like clay lanterns with intricate designs carved into their walls. If you look around the corner of the reef, a shimmer of light pink and silver, like a hazy vision, hovers just above the rocks. It is a school of Masked or Glass Gobies, whose transparent outline tricks the eye at first, making them appear like phantoms in the forgotten castle of the reef. Around the top of the reef many blue fish, called Blue Cromis, create a false sky, while below in its hideout curtained by oatmeal algae, a big Spiny Lobster lurks, its probing antennas peaking out from the shadows. On one of the dives, during the last few minutes, two big porcupine fish swam out from the larger coral reef right next to mine and the pair swam a loop together. They then went back into their hiding place under a reef shelf, only to re-emerge a few seconds later and swim another loop. It was such an amazing thing to see. From the front, the fish looked like smiley-faces!
Delphine Carroll
I went scuba diving for the first time about three weeks ago. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I was not feeling nervous all the way up until I had to put my head under water and breath. It was such a surreal time my dive instructor Rachel was so awesome to she made me feel most comfortable. The first day of the three day classes was just skills and once we got those over with the third day we went on a boat and we got to do a back roll dive. My dive buddy was Haley and we were a great team. We went to tunnel rock and Rachel took us through a coral reef tunnel. IT WAS SOO COOL! We also saw multiple cool fish. Overall this at first nervous experience turned in to an incredible experience I will never forget.
Whit Swanson
Alumni Spotlight: Hunter Foote (F’10)!
Fall 2010 Island School alumna, Hunter Foote, is launching her own media company called Laurel and wanted the opportunity to share her endeavor with The Island School alumni community.
Laurel was born out of a time of tricky transition for its founder, Hunter Foote. As someone who was about to step out of a university setting and into the “real world,” she felt lost about what to do with her life and who to go to for advice. Through Laurel, Hunter sets out to fix this for other young women like her.
Laurel is a multimedia platform. It is online now, soon-to-be in print, and will be social and mobile as well. Additionally, Laurel will have events like an annual Laurel Women’s Conference, dinners, and social gatherings to bring the Laurel community together. Laurel also hopes to provide a network of mentorship. They want a community of readers who are willing to mentor and be mentored. Readers will be able to connect with women in their field, in their stage of life, or with whom they have a kindred spirit at these events and social platforms.
While many women’s lifestyle magazines give great advice for this Friday night, Laurel is in it for the long haul – for the seasonal periods of transition. Laurel will be an outlet for mentorship for this hard time of transition and will provide relevant information to young women.
Laurel will talk about the real stuff that help young women in their 20s live a full life in transition from career advice to how to cook when you step out into the world, where to travel to enjoy this time of freedom, and, most importantly, they feature Real Women–Laurel women who have made it through these times of transition.
If you are interested in learning more about Laurel, visit their website or Kickstarter page! Best of luck to you, Hunter! We can’t wait to hear about the future of Laurel and all of your other successes!
CEI Supports Youth Environmental Leadership Summit
Recently, the Cape Eleuthera Institute supported the Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) for their first ever BREEF Eco-Schools Youth Environmental Leadership Summit in Nassau. The Cape Eleuthera Island School is an important model for schools and businesses in the Bahamas on experiential education, sustainable development, and scientific research. Participation in this event gave the opportunity to share this knowledge with 70 students from eighteen schools in Abaco, Grand Bahama, Eleuthera and New Providence. CEI Environmental Educator and Outreach Coordinator, Tiffany Gray, was able to lead two sessions, one for primary students and another for secondary, focusing on team building, sharks and opportunities here in Cape Eleuthera. There was also a booth set up throughout the two day summit for more information on educational programs, summer camps, BESS, the Plastic Summit in June, and future employment opportunities.
A notable announcement during the welcoming remarks came from Minister Kenred Dorsett, Minister of the Environment. He explained that the newly amended Electricity Act now makes it legal for the public to connect their houses, schools, and businesses, to the grid for credit through alternative energy! We have been doing this for years on campus but the fact that it is now legal is a huge step in the right direction for energy use in the Bahamas.
The Preston H. Albury High School (PHAHS) Eco club, originally inspired by Kristal Ambrose, former plastic researcher and education coordinator at CSD, is working hard to become a green flag certified Eco School. Our continued support for this club gives DCMS alumni at PHAHS and former DCMS teacher, Will Simmons, much appreciated support in this endeavor.
The summit was a huge success for BREEF and our participation played a pivotal role in the event. We look forward to collaborating with BREEF, PHAHS, and future Eco Schools in Eleuthera for the next summit in 2017!
Student Update: Research Class
Island School students have been busy these past few weeks with academics. With only two more weeks before 8-day kayak rotations start, classes are in full gear. Student Margaret Kelly reflects on a recent research class.
I have had many life changing experiences so far, but one experience so far has really stuck out and stayed with me. On one Friday during my research class, my group went out into the field. I am a part of the Deep-Sea Biodiversity research group and for our field day we were going out into the Exuma Sound to retrieve some traps. It was a beautiful day out with only a slight breeze, so I knew that it was going to be a very fun class. The process of retrieving our traps can be long and hard and sometimes we will sit out there for an hour rocking back in forth with the rolling waves watching hundreds of meters of line being coiled into our blue bins.
When we were at the 800-meter mark of our 1000-meter line, 4 of my fellow classmates, the intern helping us, and a visiting teacher all jumped in the water. We wanted to watch the traps come up from the deep blue abyss that we were currently hovering over. I had been snorkeling in a previous class out there, but not being able to see any bottom is a strange feeling. When you look down into the ocean all you can see is the light shining down into an endless vortex. After about 10 minutes of floating in this unreal place I noticed a white blob surface from deep bellow us. After about a minute of observing this strange thing, we all realized that it was part of the traps and that they were almost to the surface. It was absolutely incredible to witness our research actually happening. Once the traps got closer, I realized that what I had seen earlier was actually a Bathynomus giganteous that we had caught. For some reason, it was mind blowing to me to watch the traps surface.
While we were boating back to campus, I started to reflect on what we had just witnessed and also about what a great opportunity I have been given. I am in one of the most beautiful places in the world and I am going to school. For most people The Bahamas is a place for vacation, but for me it is my campus for everything that I am learning here. Our school days very rarely just involve sitting in a classroom because we are always using what is around us in order to learn more. This hands on learning style has definitely impacted me and I know that when I go home I will be able to take it with me.
Margaret Kelly
Meet your Caciques of the week!
This week’s Caciques topped off a busy week by organizing a fun Saturday evening bonfire for everyone to enjoy. Here’s a little more about them.
Arielle Leeman
Where are you from? Bath, Maine
What brought you to Eleuthera? I wanted to challenge myself, put myself out of my comfort zone and not go through the motions of regular school.
What is your favorite dining hall meal? Spaghetti and falafel balls; also the corn bread
Name one thing that not many people know about you: I love to sing, and I play the saxophone.
What is your favorite word? Hakuna Matata
Name one profession you’d like to try: Pediatrician
Ellie Corbett
Where are you from? Brigantine, New Jersey
What brought you to Eleuthera? I want to go into Marine Biology, love the water, and wanted to have an adventure of a lifetime.
What is your favorite dining hall meal? Pancakes with bacon, orange juice and fruit.
Name one thing that not many people know about you: I am obsessed with stuffed grape leaves.
What is your favorite word? “Wha-cha”
Name one profession you’d like to try: Crayon-namer at crayola factory
Douglas Vetter
Where are you from? San Francsico Bay Area
What brought you to Eleuthera? Both of my older siblings attended the Island School and had transformative experiences, so I figured it couldn’t be that bad here.
What is your favorite dining hall meal? Pancakes
Name one thing that not many people know about you: I am partially colorblind
What is your favorite word? Loquacious
Name one profession you’d like to try: Actor
JJ L’Archevesque
Where are you from? Massachusetts/Rhode Island
What brought you to Eleuthera? Island time
What is your favorite dining hall meal? Pancakes and apple crisp
Name one thing that not many people know about you: JJ comes from Jonathan Jay
What is your favorite word? Yup
Name one profession you’d like to try: Genius
Noelle Henderson
Where are you from? Boston
What brought you to Eleuthera? Feeling too comfortable at home, and the sharks!
What is your favorite dining hall meal? Breakfast is my favorite when we have cheese omelets.
Name one thing that not many people know about you: I only eat yogurt with forks.
What is your favorite word? Loquacious (didn’t copy Douglas- it was a coincidence!)
Name one profession you’d like to try: National Geographic Photographer
Student Update: A month in review
Tomorrow morning marks the end of Spring 2015′s first month! Here’s what student Tallis Blossom had to say about her first 30 days.
It’s fast here. Always something to do, someplace to go. It gets a bit hectic and stressful at times. But the overarching experience is amazing. Every day here is a new adventure (or five), and you have to be ready to roll with the punches. We’re over a quarter of the way through and it seems as though we’ve been here for a year and for a second, all at once. I feel like I have known these people my whole life, yet I know only the surface of so many of their lives. Each day I learn a bit more; the place unfolds and the people share more stories with me. I find myself falling in love with these people. With this place. Sure, it’s hard. Every day we learn new content, we reach deeper into ourselves to discuss Omeros in Literature and culture in Histories. We write about a higher level of the food chain for Marine Eco, sitting 40 feet beneath the surface of the water. Research hands us another scientific journal to summarize, and takes us out to sein in thousands of mojarra with the hope of catching even one juvenile bonefish. We run farther before breakfast, we study harder after dinner. Yes, it’s a place that forces us to search ourselves, to push ourselves and wonder and question and bond with each other. The tight scheduling forces me to not be homesick, which is nice, because if I take too long of a break, I begin to think about what everyone at home is doing. And while I will be excited to see everyone again, I need to enjoy this experience, to milk it for all it’s worth, because I won’t ever get it again. I’ve given myself 100 days to sink into the ocean, and go home more alive than ever.
Tallis Blossom
Staff Spotlight: Flora Weeks
Flora Weeks joined The Island School as a math teacher this past fall after spending a year working in Maine at Chewonki. When not teaching math, Flora can be found leading kayak trips, monitoring the campus cistern system, and grabbing meals with her advisees.
Where are you from? Seattle, Washington
Where were you before this? Chewonki Semester School, Wiscasset, Maine
What brought you to The Island School? The people, experiential education, and the water!
What is your favorite dining hall meal? Grits, Poached eggs, and Mooch’s hot sauce
Name one thing that not many people know about you. My brother (age 22) and I still get santa photos taken every year
What is your favorite word? Blizzard (mostly for the Dairy Queen treat, and the way you can shiver as you say it)
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Seattle Mariners scouting and stats
What are your top three movies of all time? The Parent Trap (Lindsay Lohan version), Bull Durham, The Bourne Identity
What songs and/or bands have you been listening to lately? Zac Brown Band, Devil Makes Three, and Taylor Swift
