Connor Ventling (S09) has had a busy summer! He recently completed two sprint triathlons, the Nantucket Triathlon and the Marlborough Triathlon, where he set a personal record. Connor finished second in his age group in races and qualified for the Age Group National Championships at Marlborough. He will be racing in the Age Group Nationals Continue reading
The Fall 2010 class will be blogging about their Island School experience over the next 14 weeks. A couple nights ago, they had an Intro to Blogging workshop– check out the posts they wrote in their advisory groups below!
Rachel’s Advisory- Aubrey, Noah, Ellen, and Heather
After a night of barely any sleep, last minute packing and pre-arrival jitters, we all finally arrived to our new home greeted by friendly and excited faces. After the bus ride down island, we arrived in what we thought must be paradise. Once the day of meeting our new family and unpacking was over, we settled into our warm beds and were rocked to sleep by the soothing sound of the ocean waves crashing. Morning came surprisingly early as we woke up to the sound of blasting music. But luckily we had the whole day to look forward to, starting with our first morning exercise as one community, snorkeling.
Allegra’s Advisory- Sarah F., Sarah S., Jackson, and Charlie
Driving from the Rock Sound Airport to the Island School campus is an experience fresh in our minds. There was an anxious atmosphere combined with pure excitement and a touch of awkwardness as we looked around at all of our future classmates. As the blue roofs of the campus came into view, we felt like all we’ve been anticipating for had finally arrived, and the bus broke out in applause. Finally, it hit us that this will be our home for the next fourteen weeks. Splashing into the ocean for our first snorkel at sunrise was a refreshing way of Continue reading
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While I was holding up an old conch shell telling the story of how the conch fishery is in trouble all over the tropical Atlantic a friendly octopus reached out from the shell and began climbing down my arm. This was an awesome example of how the outdoor classroom is always unpredictable and exciting — no doubt creating a sense of wonder for all of us as we begin the Fall 2010 journey.
As the sun set over the Exuma Sound on Friday, August 20th, family and friends gathered on Sunset Beach at Cape Eleuthera to witness Chris and Pam Maxey exchange vows. After almost nine years of separation, Chris and Pam decided it was time to reunite with a wedding ceremony on Eleuthera. Almost 100 guests, plus faculty and staff of The Island School, Cape Eleuthera Institute, and Deep Creek Middle School joined the Maxey family in celebration of their marriage. Continue reading
At sunrise exercise this morning I had dipped my head down into the bright underwater sky. Little Jellyfish everywhere. New to the island, I perked my head up, alarmed. Treading water slightly quicker, I asked David whether the little creatures dotting the water below us were of any concern.
“They just sting a little,” he replied.
“They’re like the mosquitoes of the sea.”
They have a mosquito for everywhere here, I think to myself.
Later that day, I can chart the mosquito bites, from ankle to knee: from “Orion’s Belt of Irritation” to “The Southern Cross of Misery” There is “Scratchy Major” and also “Scratchy Minor.” I sit at my new desk, in my new office, in my new home, at Continue reading
On Sunday The Island School welcomed students from Promise Academy and the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) to campus for a week-long experience. Twenty-three high school students and seven mentors made the trip from New York City to Cape Eleuthera to learn how to swim, SCUBA dive, and kayak. The students will also learn about the various systems and research going at The Island School and CEI. Here is an update from Wednesday’s HCZ caciques Brandie and Tyriek.
Cacique Update- August 11, 2010
Today I overcame my fears and started swimming in the water. At first I was scared Continue reading
Calling all Island School friends and family! Join us this weekend at Woods Hole, Cape Cod to tour the Marine Biological Laboratory, followed by a cocktail party hosted by the Gibson family (Kate Gibson, F04).
And, if you’re still around Boston on Monday, come help us celebrate the opening of our Boston office from 6-8pm at the Nonprofit Center near South Station.
RSVP to alumni@islandschool.org for both events. We hope you can join us!
We know it’s been a while since the last blog post…but the Summer Term kids have been out having a blast exploring the island on their Down Island Trip! Here are a few pictures from their trip to hold you over until the next post comes later this afternoon….
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The much anticipated birth of 9 bouncing baby piglets happened this past Monday. The event created quite a stir, as folks around campus organized a pool that included date of birth and number of piglets. (The parameters were controversial, as it took considerable negotiating to work through the issue of live births vs. surviving piglets). But in the end, Spencer and Annie split for the correct date, and Tiffany, Alex, and Noel all predicted the correct number of live births. As master of all things farm and livestock on campus, Joseph was disappointed with his miscalculations. But he vowed, with a sunny optimism only Joseph can muster, not to be outdone next time!