Category Archives: News

News

Maxeys Visit African Leadership Academy

Issac gives Maxeys tour of library
Maxeys at lunch with students from ALA

The Island School is building a bridge to Africa through a partnership with African Leadership Academy (ALA). The Academy, located outside of Johannesburg South Africa, is a world-class, pan-African secondary institution that aims to educate and develop outstanding students into principled, ethical leaders for Africa.

Chris and Pam and daughters, Tyler and Tegan, visited ALA on Saturday, toured the campus and gave a presentation for students and faculty. ALA students played a major role in our Leadership in Education conference back in Spring 2011 and our first ALA student joined us this past summer from Ethiopia. There is a shared Island School-ALA mission that focuses on giving students space to solve real-world problems and learn how to be successful agents for positive change in the world.

We have to thank our friends at Noble and Greenough, Ben and Sarah Snyder, Ernie and Kim Parizeau and Michael Denning for making this introduction.

Cape Eleuthera Institute, CEI, News

Eleuthera’s Efforts to Eliminate Styrofoam

Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) partners with One Eleuthera and Out Island Eco Company to provide alternative disposable products to Styrofoam, on the Island of Eleuthera.

The Island School and CEI’s journey to becoming a zero-waste campus while extending the concepts of this model to our neighbors on the island of Eleuthera has taken patience, but we are now excited to announce we are one step farther.

This particular initiative began in 2010 as CEI outreach collaborated with the Deep Creek Homecoming Association at its annual homecoming festival “Conch Fest” using the tagline “da Creek gone green”. CEI worked diligently with the food vendors to source products that promoted sustainability and were a viable alternative to using Styrofoam. The venture was particularly challenging, as sourcing the right company to provide the products proved difficult. The import duty on Styrofoam-alternative products was 45%, which made using these replacing Styrofoam an unattractive and expensive option for the average resident. Through generous sponsorship CEI provided the products to the vendors, which drastically reduced the cost of going green.

Extensive research and communication with wholesalers of these products led CEI to connect with Out Island Eco Company (OIEC), formerly affiliated with BioShell Bahamas, a non-profit company located on the island of Abaco and led by Ms. Juliette Deal. As this partnership evolves, OIEC has successfully launched an educational and outreach model in Abaco and has worked diligently with the Bahamas Government to reduce import taxes on these ecologically friendlier items.

In 2012, One Eleuthera (OE) joined the cause and partnered with CEI and OIEC Continue reading →

Alumni, News

Opportunities with Ocean Exploration Trust

The Ocean Exploration Trust is offering a number of internship and job opportunities that may be of interest to Island School alumni or other friends of The Island School, Cape Eleuthera Institute, and Deep Creek Middle School. Please see the descriptions below or visit the Ocean Exploration Trust’s website for more information.

NAUTILUS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Applications are now being accepted!

The Nautilus Exploration Program is seeking undergraduate and graduate students and early career scientists for at-sea internships in 2013. See this webpage for details and application materials: http://www.oceanexplorationtrust.org/opportunities

For more information please contact the appropriate Nautilus representatives listed in the application.

DEADLINE: Feb 1, 2013

LEAD OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA ENGINEER

Applications are now being accepted!

The Ocean Exploration Trust is seeking an oceanographic data systems engineer to support the Nautilus Exploration Program.

See this webpage for details:

http://www.oceanexplorationtrust.org/opportunities

Position is open until filled.

OET EDUCATOR AT SEA and HONORS RESEARCH PROGRAM

Applications will be posted at the beginning of January. We are undergoing some restructuring in our Education Department and apologize for the delay. Please see this website for details, starting in January:

http://www.oceanexplorationtrust.org/opportunities

Continue reading →

Cape Eleuthera Institute, News, research, Student Update

Student Update December 3, 2012

Last Saturday was a very big day for all of us. It was the day where all of the research and work that we had done in the past three months culminated to a big Research Symposium. During the Research Symposium, each research group gave presentations about 8241856250_fb2e5a00d3_btheir research, booths, and posters. This was a little different from the presentations we did during Parent’s Weekend because we were presenting all of our work to people who could look at our results and make change in the Bahamas, and in the world. The Bahamian Minister of Environment attended the symposium as well as Friends of the Environment, BREEF, and many other NGOs. To see these people listen to and think critically about our research made me appreciate and feel proud of all of the work we accomplished these past few months. Continue reading →

Cape Eleuthera Institute, CEI, News, research

Maxey Celebrates a Monumental Research Symposium

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Dear Proud Parents,

We circled up at noon; I was moved to tell your children in the more intimate moment of our small circle how proud I am of the good work that has been accomplished. Yesterday after the research presentations we gathered in Hallig House to listen to key note speakers share impressions. Eric Carey, Executive Director of the Bahamas National Trust, is big in stature and huge in spirit and brutally honest; he was “blown away” by the work. Eric mentioned specifically the turtle project at Half Sound and the conch research as monumental and pioneering efforts that will encourage (he used the word force) the government to enact laws to protect and conserve these vital habitats and endangered species. As a boy growing up in Tarpum Bay he confirmed the story retold by the research team, ” when I was young we would go to Sandy Cay and load our boat with 100s of conch that sat dry at low tied and if you go back now you can not find a single conch.”

Next to speak, Mr. Sandy Mactaggart, Chancellor Emeritus University of Alberta. Sandy has dedicated his full and extremely successful life to save beautiful places; he realized that the work here by young scientists proved beyond a doubt that education as it continues to exist is tragically flawed. He then shared a story; I encourage you to read the link, http://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/introbook2.1/x874.html . Your children are producers of knowledge, they have stretched to ask and answer new questions and they are well tested and confident — watch out world!

Last to speak was the Honorable Kenred Dorsett, Minister of the Environment, Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Continue reading →

News

Pam & Chris Meet Ross Perot

During their Island School Admissions Receptions tour across the state of Texas, Island School founders Pam and Chris Maxey had the opportunity to meet with Ross Perot in Dallas and thank him for his early support. Back in 1990, Perot personally hired Chris Maxey to work at Perot Systems when he was returning from working for the military in Panama. Chris eventually left that position to pursue a career in education which led him and Pam to founding The Island School and its sister organizations, Deep Creek Middle School and Cape Eleuthera Institute. Pam and Chris also were introduced to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas,  Continue reading →

Alumni, News

Love is in the Air!

This past weekend, two couples near and dear to The Island School’s heart tied the knot! Francesca Forrestal, a Fall 1999 alumna and member of the Cape Eleuthera Foundation Board, married Ian Enochs in Newport, RI. They are living in Miami, Florida where Francesca is completing her Ph.D. in marine biology and Ian is working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Also married last weekend were former Island School faculty member, Kristin Sinclair, to Andy Robertson. The two got married  at Camp Wing in Duxbury, MA, a camp that  “inspires at-risk youth to develop their innate potential to become members of the next generation of diverse young leaders in Boston and Massachusetts, breaking the cycle of poverty and under-achievement and yielding systemic change in the communities where they live”. Their wedding venue expenses helped to support these programs and provide scholarships for kids. Kristin and Andy were able to tie a little bit of Island School into their ceremony by decorating with shells and seaglass from Eleuthera and sand from Lighthouse Beach.

Congratulations Francesca & Ian and Kristin & Andy!

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