by Caciques Connor Sullivan and Sam Saccomanno

We untied our shoes from the short jog to the triangle cut. We immersed our bodies into the warm Caribbean water for our first swim assessment. We were surrounded by squirming bodies awaiting the signal to start the assessment. “Three, two, one, start!” called Ashley, and we were immediately engulfed in kicking feet, clouds of bubbles, and salt water up our noses. After a few kicks to the head, the group spaced out and everyone found their respective place (which for Sam and I, was near the back). Throughout the near quarter mile swim, our technique gradually turned from a good quality breast stroke to a struggling doggy paddle. Although it was challenging, us two made it to the finish line.

After touring the campus,CEI, and the cape, we had down time, which was taken up by beach volleyball. Continue reading →

“The very first F.11 Cacique Update! “

by Caciques Madison Philipp and Brian Higgs

Walking along the road looking in the bushes and brush with our flashlights, we hear rustling a ways away. We run and see what we’ve been looking for. Stepping on it’s back and reaching behind its claws to grab it, we have finally caught a crab.

Crabbing was one of the first true Bahamian activities we were able to participate in. We were lead to a remote location by Justin, Joseph and Mooch. We split into groups with our flashlight and headlamps we went off to explore. Following goat trails we made our way through the trees and bushes seeing the environment around us. Walking along we see these massive holes in the ground. They were filled with leaves and water, and went about 10ft. down. Continuing along we duck under Continue reading →

[slideshow]The following update was written by Denali and Arielle for Friday, July 22nd.

Waking up this morning was, as always, a struggle. However, within fifteen minutes students were shocked into an alert state as they jumped into the cool and refreshing water for a morning swim. Feeling the stress of the looming triathlon, everyone was pushing themselves in order to prepare for the half-mile swim portion.

On returning to the boathouse Matt led us in 7-minute abs, further defining our glorious six-packs. After that we witnessed something truly moving and powerful—the pig slaughter for the research symposium’s local food sampler. A mix of excited and wary students walked up to the small pigpen in the midst of the orchard. With a shotgun the pig was killed, short and sweet. One may think, how horrible, what kind of school allows students to watch the slaughter of an animal? Actually, this is the one of the most humane situations for a pig slaughter to be performed. In human ecology we learned of the commercial food industry and the brutal and, frankly, inhumane techniques used. After the initial killing students were allowed to partake in the cleaning and de-furring of the pig. The experience to see where food comes from, farm to plate, is a powerful thing. The communal effort helped strengthen our community.

These final days of tying together the loose ends have been a hectic whirlwind of emotions. From sad reminiscing to joyful thoughts of home; everyone has been jumping from one extreme to the other. The thought of the end has been a heavy weight on the hearts of students; however, the friendships forged will not be in vein. Plans for reunions and visits circulate as the end draws near. If one thing is for sure, The Island School’s effect on each student is profound and the experiences will not be forgotten.

The following blog entry was written by Clayton and Hope for Monday, July 18th. 

“It’s where you go and what you do that makes you who you are.”

This morning started with a extremely intense student-led physco, which was conduct by Clayton and Kate. We paired up with a buddy and were forced to push one another through an intense piggyback relay, daunting sand hill sprints and intimidating rock lifts. Giving it our all we sprinted through The Island School campus and side-by-side with our buddies, every student touched the flagpole finish. Everyone was energized by the twist to the morning and eagerly, we split up for chores. After completing a variety of campus chores and rushing to take navy showers, we met up at the dining hall for breakfast. Students were excited to see a tall mountain of pancakes waiting for them. The morning Human Ecology class was dedicated to spending time planning and starting the projects which we recently created. The presentation room became a place of new ideas and hopes for ways in which we are going to improve our home here at the Island School and Cape Eleuthera. Each group chose a topic based on something they feel needs to more sustainable or simply a problem that needs a solution. The work ahead of us will push our creative thinking and allow us to find ways to use the resources in our area.  Some groups plan to use the invasive species, Casuarina trees, while others are going to use recycled bottles or old tires found in resources. This afternoon each research group spent time discussing the results as well as developing an outline for the final poster. We began making graphs, determining if our data was significant, and tweaking our previously written intros. After a long academic and physical day, many of the kids decided to explore the inner loop, by running or biking, rather than indulge themselves at the marina store.  Finally at dinner circle, we were joined by our research advisors who briefed us on our adventurous day tomorrow. We were also joined by the new faces of the South Eleuthera Kids Camp.  The night concluded as mentors and students alike congregated in John and David’s apartment, where we took turns giving kudos to one another on the progress we have made this term.

The following blog was written by Caciques Blake and Adam from Sunday, July 17th. 

The sun’s rays beamed onto my body as I stood with my peers together at dinner circle. The circle seemed perfect, reflecting how our student body has grown into an intricate community. While the sky turns orange around us, we await the new, approaching horizon in our 10 days we have left here. Ten days for Human Ecology projects. Ten days to complete our research projects. Ten days to continue the physical journey that will conclude with a challenging triathlon. As the community takes a moment of silence, my mind drifts away into how we spent our Sunday.

Our relaxing day began with some of us trickling through the dining hall for a casual granola and milk breakfast, or exploring the loop and having breakfast at the Marina coffee shop.

Others chose to sleep in and wake up for a special free diving session in the morning with founder Chris Maxey, while a few students ventured off to church in the local settlements. This time, we explored Cathedral, a common dive site reaching fifty feet in some places. The broad range of depths along the reef allowed everyone to have a great time: the more natural snorkelers could attempt to reach the sandy bottom, while others like myself were content exploring the top of the reef at a comfortable fifteen feet. Without our noisy SCUBA regulators and gear, we were able to swim within a few feet of any given fish.

After the noontime circle, we had an exemplary Sunday brunch with a wide array of delicious options such as scrambled eggs, bacon, pizza, toast, and pasta. After a hearty meal, students relaxed at Sunset Beach, discussing their experiences on the Down Island road trip as well as the solo on the Kayak trip. Some students participated in pick up basketball while others decided to get a head start on their “This I Believe” audio essays that expresses a belief that came from observations made during the Down Island trip.

As the moment of silence is suddenly broken, my mind turns back to our circle. All twenty four students and eleven faculty members can see each other, sharing a newly formed bond that has come from our daily challenges as well as relaxation time we all can afford on our Sundays off. As the circle physically breaks for dinner, I can only assume that this circle can never fully break in a place where the sun always seems to shine.

The following is a Cacique update written by Blake and Joe from Tuesday, July 5th:

Although our day began with an exhausting run-swim, the greatest challenged we faced today was learning the harsh reality of how our food is processed in the United States. At The Island School, the core question that has defined our summer term is “How do we live well in a place?” Throughout the summer, our daily experiences have helped to shape our answers to that question. Today was no exception.

For those of us who had Human Ecology in the morning, we began our informative class by visiting the Island School farm. Our challenge of the day was to clip the wings off of the ducks to prevent them from flying away from the farm. I admit that this task was not an easy one. As students entered the squalid pen, ducks became alarmed by our intrusion into their home, scrambling to break away. One by one, we clipped their feathers, while leaving the first two feathers on each side. As I cut the feathers off of each of the ducks, I began to question my sense of morality.

During the afternoon, the second group of human ecology got the chance to have a very similar experience in the aquaponics lab. As I stared into the murky brown water of the tank, I could see nothing, yet was still being urged on to catch these fish that were apparently in there. As I put my net down and pulled it up, sure enough there was a thrashing tilapia in my net and I very quickly put in the bucket. As we progressed to the lab, we experienced the cleaning of the fish, which was needless to say fascinating to see how we get our food. I was eating an animal that was alive a mere 30 minutes ago. Fresh, to say the least. The experience of seeing my food before my eyes be cut up into a meal, made me appreciate The Island School’s approach of locally and sustainably having food at our fingertips. However, I would learn later in the day that not all our food was like this. I realized that the handling of animals at The Island School was far more ethical than that on big American corporal farms. Our exposure to the local farm led us into watching the informative documentary of Food, Inc.

I couldn’t believe what I was watching on the screen. Only minutes ago, I was on the local Island School farm where animals had enough space to roam, could eat food that was free of chemicals and hormones, and could gaze towards the beaming sun. In the farms, animals were fed chemicals that allowed them to grow twice as big as their usual size. The animals were packed into dark, cramped rooms so they would be able to lay more eggs. The humanness of The Island School farm was no reality for the majority of the animals harvested in our country’s commercial farms that we consume in our daily diet. A few huge companies have monopolized the food industries, affecting the lives of poorer families. Minorities are more likely to contract diabetes because they cannot afford to buy healthy food and instead have resorted to fast food. Only a day ago, I was celebrating the birth of a country that represented the land of the free, yet many citizens struggle from the injustices of the food industry. As I watched the movie, my mind turned the question “How do we live well?”

Living well is questioning where our food comes from. Living well is conserving our intake of animals, so we can receive only enough to satiate our needs. Living well is respecting the animals in our surrounding environment. Living well is eating locally. I hope that humans, as we are at The Island School, can learn to live sustainably in a world of balance and respect.