Category Archives: Uncategorized

DCMS Early Act Club Day of Service

Screen shot 2013-09-24 at 1.33.21 PMOn Saturday, September 21, students in the Early Act group of Deep Creek Middle School joined for ES with parent organization Rotary and Rotaract for a day of service at Ocean Hole park in Rock Sound. Students completed extensive yard work, removed trash and of course had a swim in the ocean hole. Lots of community members came out to support the event.

 

The DCMS Early Act club was founded in 2012 as another vehicle to fulfill the school’s mission of teaching the future leaders of The Bahamas.

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SCUBA_lionfish

Lobster Displacement Research Update

In lobster displacement research class we (Gibson, Summer, Ella, Sam, Clem, and Matt) collaborate with the Cape Eleuthera Institute. We examine the effects of the invasive lionfish on the number one economic export of The Bahamas: the spiny lobster and compare our observations to that of a similar native predator: the graysby. We meet three times each week, where one day is a five-hour field day. On our first field day we free dove for lionfish and lobsters and managed to catch one small lionfish. Later that day we also managed to lose both our graysbys in the lab!  The next week we caught upside down jellyfish with our bare hands! Don’t worry- nobody got stung. We used the jellies in an experimental design practical.  Our second field day was a scuba-dive at Tunnel Rock, a beautiful reef off the cape with an abundance of fish. We were underwater for about 50 minutes, hunting for fish for the lab work; and we were able to catch 5 graysbys by dangling bate on mini fishing rods above the reefs. The grasby were taken back to lab for video camera trails. We are having a blast and looking forward to many more field days to come. We love class so much we want an extra classes on Sundays.

Sea Saba Dive Center Office Intern

Sea Saba Dive Center is looking for the right dynamic personality to fill a multifaceted office position with eventual dive leadership responsibilities. Sea Saba Dive Center is located on the famous diving destination island of Saba in the Dutch Caribbean (28 miles from St. Maarten). The island offers great rainforest hiking, a small village and community appeal while attracting an eclectic international group of people. For more information, see the job posting here: OfficeInternSept2013 and visit Saba’s websites at www.seasaba.com and www.seaandlearn.org.

Student Update September 12, 2013

by Harison Rohrer: 

Lots going on down here! Classes are now in full swing, and we’ve all chosen whether we want to swim or run. I chose swim track, so I went out with 6 other “experienced” swimmers earlier this morning for a one-mile loop. As far as classes go, we usually have two shorter classes either before or after lunch, and one longer class to fill the rest of the blocks. Yesterday, I had environmental art class and literature in the morning, and I went diving for Marine Ecology in the afternoon. The dive was the first of many that we will all be doing this semester in the same location. Each buddy pair is assigned a small patch reef to study throughout the semester, with each week focusing on a different aspect of reef life. While this week focused on coral and algae, I found myself staring at tiny schools of juvenile fish as they hovered in small protected areas of the reef as the larger snappers and jacks swam in the open water above. Since it was the first time on a dive that I’ve been able to sit and watch reef activity unfold before my eyes, I was incredibly happy for all of my 40 minutes underwater as my eyes tracked to and from the Sea Cucumbers, Groupers, Fairy Basslets, Snappers, Flamingo Tongue Snails, and small balls of bait fish. As my Marine Eco class surfaced from the dive, we were met by torrential rains and lightning in the distance. It was awesome.  

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Student Update September 10, 2013

by Lyndsey Silverstein:

After two weeks of waiting it had finally come, Sunday. It was our first real day off of the school year. I began by sleeping until 8:00 AM, which was late compared to our normal 6:30 AM wake up, got dressed and biked to The Conch House with a few friends. Hearing that The Conch House had pancakes and milkshakes beforehand, I was eager to finally arrive and gorge myself on all the food I’d been missing. It was a great start to the relaxing day ahead of me. After consuming what felt like an entire buffet just for me, I biked back to campus and gathered for noon circle. Everyone was in a good mood all rested and calm for Sunday. At circle, a faculty member announced that we had an arranged activity at 1:30 to go to the sand bar. Joining in on the choir of sighs, I was reluctant to go because this was our only day off. It was mandatory so it didn’t really matter what I thought, I was going and it was my only day off. At 1:30 I got my life jacket on and headed onto the boat with the rest of the students and faculty. Upon our arrival I was completely stunned. This had to have been one of the most beautiful places I had ever been. The clearest lightest water, the softest sand that we plastered our bodies with, made it pretty much impossible to be upset that they brought us here. After swimming around and relaxing in the shallow waters I got back on the boat and went back to campus with a changed perspective: thankful for the arranged activity that I once dreaded.

Student Update September 7, 2013

Throughout the semester, we will be featuring regular updates about the student experience here at Island School, through the voices of our own students. These “Student Update” reflections will blend stories and experiences from all areas of student life, from academics to adventures, keeping you all posted on meaningful moments that happen here each day. Enjoy our first Student Update of the Fall 2013 semester, written by Lyndsey Silverstein:

We kicked off the end of orientation by running to High Rock together, both faculty and students. I ran two miles to get there and jumped off the rock, metaphorically starting my three month journey here. Marking the end of orientation, kayak and scuba week to start a more normal rhythm here at The Island School. After every student jumped off, we ran back to campus and headed for our Querencia spot. Querencia is a time where, after being surrounded by teachers and peers at all times, I can be utterly alone and write or think to myself. I biked back up to High Rock and found a huge boulder, climbed on top and stared at the open waters before me. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this time to myself. This was a place I would come every week to learn more about myself and discover my identity. Discovering who I was wasn’t going to happen in the two hours I had but I knew this place held significance for me in the future. Continue reading

Early Learning Center

photo (79)We are excited to announce the opening of our newest educational program, The Island School Early Learning Center.  This program serves children ages 2-6 from the greater Island School community and provides them with a safe, nurturing, and stimulating early learning environment.  The children began exploring their new home last week during a “summer camp” that will last two weeks before beginning the academic year in September.

IMG_0190Founding Director, Cassie Kruthoff says “The ELC fits in seamlessly because it holds the same fundamental beliefs about education as The Island School and DCMS.  The children are able to learn and grow in a wonderful environment that values learning through experience and cherishes creativity and exploration.”

We all look forward to having the little, smiling faces and extra energy at the Island School and welcome our youngest students.

Rumber Materials

The Island School and Cape Eleuthera Institute serve as a hub for education, research and community outreach with a focus on conservation, sustainability and the marine environment. Our mission is to incorporate these ideals into every facet of our life from the way we work and live to our interaction with the natural and built environment. We are an active and innovative campus and we strive to utilize sustainable building materials, which fit this vision as we expand. Rumber is a prime example of one of those building materials.

Wierda Bridge
Wierda Bridge

 

Rumber Materials “manufactures a wide variety of strong and highly durable products from 100% recycled tire rubber and plastics. The majority of the company’s products consist of boards which are produced in varying lengths and widths that are used as substitutes for wood or plastic. Rumber composite material can also be used at full strength to create new products through injection or compression molding, extrusion or pressing into sheets. Rumber products are environmentally friendly, are stronger than other composites and are impervious to fluids, mud, oil and UV rays. Rumber boards will not crack, rot or split and they have a traction surface that increases safety. They can be cut with a saw, are easily installed and are easy to clean.”

We have incorporated Rumber into two major projects to date. The first is the Wierda Bridge, a prominent centerpiece of our campus, connecting The Island School and Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) campuses by providing a footbridge that traverses over a mangrove ecosystem. Rumber can also be found on the exterior decks, stairs and walkways of the Hallig House, the campuses’ most modern and innovative structure. This building was conceived by a team of environmental designers specializing in minimal impact and sustainable buildings. Their structures model the best building practices with special attention to materials which are best suited to our local environment while meeting our criteria of a major percentage of recycled and or reclaimed materials. The ultimate goal isto get Hallig House certified under the “Living Building Certification” program. Rumber was an obvious choice for inclusion as it contains 100% post consumer waste. Continue reading