Hours of practice and hard work paid off for Deep Creek Middle School students last Saturday night at The 2014 Eleuthera Jr. Junkanoo held in Governors Harbour. Accompanying DCMS for the first time, the pre-schoolers at The Island School’s Early Learning Center joined in the annual competition, leading the group down the new Queen’s Highway route. The group took home top prize in the Junior High category finishing with 948 points. Congratulations team!
Below is a photo essay highlighting their journey:
(Photographs by Erik Kruthoff and Will Strathman)
A late night pasting session at DCMSMr. Will Simmons, a teacher at DCMS, served as leader of the group
A DCMS student pastes a head pieceMembers of the entire Island School Community lent a hand in preparing for the event.DCMS students teaching the ELC pre-schoolers the proper steps.Practicing in front of schoolPracticing at The Island School.Cowbells and drums. The signature sound of JunkanooFor many of the ELC students, this was their first Junkanoo rush.A student tries his hand at the trumpet.Dancers practicing.
After-school drum practice.A student dancer showing off his moves.A volunteer pastes a shoulder piece.Adding the preschoolers to the group made for some laughs.Assembling the group on the day of the competition.Mr. Simmons making last-minute preparations.DCMS dancers pose for a group shot.Drums are warmed up next to a bonfire.DCMS drummer crew.A male dancer shows off his costume.Ready to go.The Early Learning Center students lead the way, showcasing the school’s core values: Exploration, Individuality, Creativity, Growth, and Imagination.The DCMS Banner “The Future Leaders of the Bahamas” with their core values: Responsible Citizenship, Leadership, and Academic Growth.Lead dancers with the banner.DCMS dancers.DCMS Core Values “Graduates”“Prime Ministers of The Bahamas” piece.A colorful shoulder piece.DCMS brass section.Trumpet player in the brass section.DCMS Trombone player.“School of First Choice” shoulder piece.Dancers with cowbells and scrapers.
DCMS Drummers.
Drummers beat out the unrelenting sound of Junkanoo.DCMS & ELC took home top place for the Junior High category, finishing with 948 points.
Today is the final day to RSVP for The Island School’s 15 Year Celebration in Boston on January 4. Space is limited and due to an unprecedented number of RSVPs, we are reaching capacity. Please RSVP to cameronpowel@islandschool.org by the end of the day today!
The Island School admissions and alumni teams are on the road again! Sharon Jarboe, Cam Powel, and Taylor Hoffman are hitting the pavement this week, traveling throughout New England visiting sending schools, holding admissions receptions, and visiting Island School alumni enrolled in colleges throughout the area.
The week on the road began in Wellesley with an incredible admissions reception hosted by the Baker family (Shawn, Beth, Erin S’10, Julia S’13). It was one of our best attended receptions in history with over 70 people (including 25 prospective students!) gathered in the Bakers’ beautiful home to hear about The Island School or catch up with some familiar faces. A huge thank you to Shawn and Beth and the rest of their family for hosting such an amazing event!
Still buzzing with energy from Sunday night, we headed north for lunch at Phillps Exeter Academy where we caught up with some of our more recent alumni and some interested students. We were so thankful for Dr. Sydnee Goddard (parent F’08) who is a great faculty member resource not only for Exeter students interested in applying to The Island School, but also for the students who return to Exeter after their IS experience! She was nice enough to host our pizza party in her classroom on Monday afternoon.
Sydnee Goddard, Brian Byun (F’12), Hope Logan (F’12), Nora Cullen (F’12), Kelly McCarthy (F’12), Caroline del Real (Su’13), Haley Stokas (Su’13), Josie Russ, Taylor Hoffman, Julie Lord (Su’13)
We then continued onward to arrive in Burlington, VT in time to get dinner with all of our alumni at University of Vermont.
Last night, Island School alumni as well as prospective students and families in the San Francisco area gathered at the home of Laura & Terry Hunt, parents of Griffin Hunt (F’11 and CEI intern Su’13) for an Island School admissions reception. The group had a great time showing videos Griffin created during his internship this past summer. The most recent student to return from The Island School, Hector showed some of his videos and photos from IS, including pictures of the IS spiral garden he dug into his front yard upon returning home.
Kelsey Moody (S’06), Aly Boyce (F’10), James Boyce (F’12), Hector Altamarino (Su’13)
To find out where we will be next, visit our website. For any questions about admissions or admissions receptions, email admissions@islandschool.org.
