Category Archives: Events
First Annual Nantucket & Cape Cod Run-Swims
This past weekend marked The Island School’s first annual summer run-swim tour. First stop: Nantucket! 22 brave run-swim participants gathered around the flag pole at the Parizeau’s home on Saturday morning to stretch and sing the Bahamian national anthem before hitting the course. Three laps around the course and almost an hour later, the run-swim was complete, with everyone placing a triumphant slap on the flagpole.
The Parizeau family (Kate F’03, Doug S’06, Molly S’10, Sam S’14) then hosted everyone for lunch at their home before taking a tour of the UMass Field Station just down the road. UMass’s Dr. Sarah Oktay walked us through the facility and spoke about the important work she and her colleagues are doing to preserve the health of Nantucket, its inhabitants, and its surrounding environment.
After a much-needed rest in the afternoon, Island School folks gathered together again, this time at the home of the Simmons (Reilly F’12). They hosted a delicious barbecue which afforded the opportunity for alumni, parents, and prospective families to socialize.
The next morning, The Island School headed to the Taft’s home (S’09, S’13) in Pocasset on Cape Cod to tackle another run-swim. In true Island School fashion, Spring 2009 students took on the leadership role of taking the group on a course in and out of the water, complete with lots of arm workouts using rocks on the shore. Alumni and Island School families hung out through the afternoon playing lawn games and enjoying the delicious food provided by the Taft family.
To round out the weekend, Chris and Pam took a quick trip to Martha’s Vineyard on Monday morning and got to see a few familiar faces before heading back down the coast to their house in Lawrenceville.
We want to extend a huge THANK YOU to all of the families and alumni who opened up their homes to host these fun events and make the weekend possible: The Parizeaus (Kim, Ernie, Kate F’03, Doug S’06, Molly S’10, Sam S’14), the Simmons (Julie, Brian Reilly F’12), the Vanacores (Tricia, Mark, Caroline S’11, Cole S’13, Avery S’14, Reed) and the Tafts (Terry, Dave, Will, Krissy S’09, Sarah S’13, Haley).
We will be hitting the road again next summer so mark your calendars! In an effort to increase attendance and participation, we are going to consolidate the event to one location, so save the date for July 12 in Nantucket!
Run-Swim With Us This Summer!
Maxey’s Trip to Maine
This past weekend, Chris Maxey was invited to be the graduation speaker at Camden Hill Regional High School in Camden Hills, Maine. CHRHS has been sending groups of students down to The Island School during the summer for the past few years to participate in primary research with marine biologists. Like during The Island School semester, they will work as a team, earn high school credit and become part of an intentional sustainable community. Senior class president at CHRHS, Alex Crans, who got to know Chris Maxey quite well during his visit to The Island School last summer, asked him to be the speaker because of his energy and the admiration people have for him. You can read more about the relationship The Island School has with Camden Hills and other Maine Atlantic communities here.
Also during his time in Maine, Chris had the opportunity to connect with alumni and friends in the area. Here he is with Cooper FItzGerald (S’09) at Dou’s Fish and Chips, the take out restaurant Cooper is working at this summer before heading to school at Colorado College.
Chris caught up with Island School and Vinalhaven High School graduates, Willie Drury (S’10) and Izza Drury (S’11).
And finally, he enjoyed an early morning lake swim with parents of Sarah Haselton (S’13), George and Eliza Haselton.
Boston Tough Mudder
While students and faculty on Eleuthera were running the half marathon and swimming the Super Swim this past weekend, members of The Island School staff, alumni community, Cape Eleuthera Foundation (CEF) Board, and friends of The Island School participated in their own beast of an athletic event–a Tough Mudder. If you are not familiar with these popular events that are sweeping the nation, a Tough Mudder is a “hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie” and raises money for the Wounded Warrior Project.
Led by fearless leader, Ernie Parizeau, IS parent (F’03, S’06, S’10, S’14) and CEF board member, Team Sledgehammer took to the Boston Tough Mudder course at Gustock Mountain Resort, NH on Sunday morning. Kate Parizeau (F’03), Doug Parizeau (S’06), Wes Mize (S’06), Will Parizeau, Sally Tyrie, Dan Foran, Mary Assini (S’00, Director of Development), and Cam Powel (F’04, Director of Alumni Relations) made up the rest of Team Sledgehammer.
Nearly 4 hours, 12 miles, and 20 obstacles later, Team Sledgehammer made it through their final obstacle, Electroshock Therapy consisting of a field of live wires carrying up to 10,000 volts of electric shock, and crossed the finish line with smiles on their faces and lots of mud on their bright green team t-shirts.
Congratulations, Team Sledgehammer!
SEEP Opens 2nd Emergency Operation Center in South Eleuthera
Last week, members of The Island School were present at the opening of SEEP’s (South Eleuthera Emergency Partners) second Emergency Operation Center (EOC) in South Eleuthera. SEEP is a “community-led organization that serves and enriches the communities of South Eleuthera by providing fire and medical transport services, as well as community outreach programs.” The vision of SEEP is to create “safer communities by establishing a network of emergency operation centers that provide essential community services. This will lead to community growth, as well as economic development which will continue to benefit future generations.”
According to an article on the opening, published in The Eleutheran, members of the South Eleuthera communities, as well as some as far north as James’ Cistern “came out to celebrate the official commissioning of the new center and to witness the handing over ceremony for the Fire Truck–to the Royal Bahamas Police Force…The new Weymss Bight EOC facility will provide under-served communities in the surrounding South Eleuthera area with emergency fire, ambulance vehicles and operations space. This new facility will also eliminate twenty-five minutes from the driving time necessary to reach the surrounding South Eleuthera communities from the present EOC facility located in Tarpum Bay, according to [Shaun] Ingraham”, CEO and Founder of One Eleuthera Foundation. Ingraham went on to tell The Eleutheran that the “long-term goal for the site is to make the EOC multi-functional to include several other community programs…including farmer’s markets, shared craft workshop facilities and a community meeting space”.
Community Outreach Cancer Plastic Awareness Night
Last Saturday, May 18, Island School and Deep Creek Middle School students put together a cancer plastic awareness night. This picture shows the Deep Creek student leaders and their teachers that helped coordinate the event.
From left to right we have Kristal, Shawnea, Breanna, and Mr. Simmons. The night was a big success and raised money to help the cause.
This picture shows the students in the plastic awareness group presenting their project. They are from left to right: Tyrin, Matt, Peter C, Kylisa, Jack, and Garric. They presented their project and showed the harmful effects of plastic on both people and the world. Both the cancer group and the plastic group prepared amazing videos to demonstrate the goals of their project. Excellent work by both groups! At the event, Continue reading
Symposium on Tourism & Coastal Development
On April 18, we brought together educators, scientists, government officials, developers, resort operators, and stakeholders on Eleuthera to learn from past experiences and chart new territory for tourism products and sustainable development. Here are some of the highlights from the day-long symposium.
IS Parents Are Busy Saving the Oceans. Alumni–Where Are You?
Island School students leave campus charged with the energy to want to apply what they learned to make a difference in the world. Turns out that some of the best role models for our graduates are…their parents!
Yesterday Kirsten Dawson (parent F’04, F’06, F’08), Linda Cabot (parent S’11, S’13) and Molly Cramer (parent S’08) attended the Women Working for Oceans (W2O) “Leave only Footprints” event at the New England Aquarium in Boston to learn from marine scientists about establishing and monitoring some amazing habitat: the Phoenix Islands marine protected area in the Pacific ocean. Past events have educated on issues of ocean plastics, the impact of auto emissions on climate change and oceans, as well as “fight with your fork” (choosing sustainable seafood, eco-friendly packaging, and vegetarian option) approaches to addressing climate change. They walk the talk too – the vegetarian lunch by the Aquarium chefs was amazing!
Women Working for Oceans always ends their lecture events with actions steps, so The Island School Continue reading
Maxeys Visit Kliptown Youth Program
Through introductions from our friends at Nobles, we had the opportunity to visit an inspiring educational program. Kliptown Youth Program in South Africa is bringing hope to the next generation of young people growing up in one of the most poor Soweto neighborhoods in the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa.
