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Cacique Update, Uncategorized

Cacique Update November 17, 2011

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by Caciques Franklin and AJ

The day before parent’s weekend was exciting and hectic with all the work that had to be done for preparation. We had Art and Human Ecology classes where we were preparing for our final projects by collecting data and finishing our final proposal papers before the busy week  ahead. The art gallery started to come together fast with all the hard work put in by every committee in the community; we bustled around trying to complete our assigned tasks. The decorations crew was busy painting waves, and cleanup crew completely cleared out the octagon where the show was put up. It turned out beautiful, the photos were posted all over the walls and paintings, sculptures, and drawings from students were put on podiums around the room. Students hung the jewelry made in art class on sea fans and final touches were put on to finalize the space. After our classes, everyone went out to explore near the marina and talked about the upcoming week, there was excitement and nerves, thinking about what our families would think about the newly improved students we’ve become. The countdown finally started, we were within 24 hours of seeing our families for the first time in 2 months.

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Growing Solutions

by Human Ecology Fellow –  Alicia Barlow

Grafting, budding, scion, rootstalk and upside down T graft are all words and phrases that are now part of the vocabulary of six students here at The Island School. One of the most unique and meaningful times of an Island School semester occurs when students embark on their 8-day kayak and Down Island Trips. As a Human Ecology teaching fellow this semester, I have stayed on campus to act as a mini-project advisor to those students who are participating in the academic portion of these rotations. During Human Eco class, students were split into groups and assigned a project theme to work with, and were expected to design and complete a project in a week and a half and then present their finished products to the remaining students on campus. During the first half of our rotations I worked with six students under the theme of “agriculture” as they attempted to bring the process of budding and grafting fruit trees to The Island School orchard.

These students had already visited a local farm during the agriculture segment of our Human Ecology curriculum, where a farmer – Edrin Symonette – introduced them to the concept of budding to produce fruit trees. As part of this mini-project, Harry, Annabelle, James, Hallie, John and Emily called Edrin and asked if we could return to his farm and receive a personal lesson on grafting from him. Continue reading →

Cacique Update, Uncategorized

Cacique Update November 4, 2011

by Caciques Sam Saccomanno and Alex Spring

More Reflections on Kayak:

It was a beautiful day, one we hadn’t had in the past 3 days. It was our day to kayak all the way to Light House beach-one of the top ten prettiest beaches in the world. It was the ideal location for our 48 hour solo. None of the kids expected such a long day of kayaking. No one knew that we would be kayaking 15 miles from the morning to6 P.M.with a short 30 minute lunch break. It was definitely the most challenging day of my 8 day kayak trip, and probably one the most challenging days at The Island School in general. It was physically and mentally demanding, but turning the corner to see the stunning Light House beach was so rewarding. We all jumped out of our kayaks, enthusiastic to be on ground and out of the kayaks. Kids ran around screaming and dancing-happy to have made it. Because we arrived so late, we had to quickly move kayaks and set up camp and dinner. Later that night, we all ate a delicious pasta meal around the warm fire. We were all excited for the following solo days, happy to be on ground, and proud of our accomplishment. It is the challenges such as these that make the Island School experience so unique and life-changing.

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A Scary Idea

Zooming out over the open ocean on the Bay Scout this morning with Chris Maxey, in the still brightening darkness just before sun up, haunted by hints of the Halloween festivities on campus from the night before, we both agreed: it was scary.

When young people are given the creative space to work towards a common goal that excites and motivates them, what they can do is scary, startling, if not downright astonishing. Yesterday,Island School students were charged with the opportunity to plan and perform the annual Haunted Campus for Deep Creek Middle School students. Each fall semester The Island School designs and opens up a terrifying, bio-diesel curdling Halloween celebration that will make the hair on your mosquito bites stand up.

DCMS students arrived in full costume and began the evening with fun and games, bobbing for apples and pinning the broom on the witch. Then, led by teenage guardians of the underworld, they were ushered around campus to visit the half-dead orchard, an insane asylum, a boat house scuba massacre, and the med-room gone maniac. As the night progressed and as sonic screams echoed off of solar panels, I found myself started by the most unexpected thing. It was not Geoff, the head of facilities, running around with a chainsaw that caught my eye—he does this every year—nor was it the ketchup dripping mouths on faces pale with baby powder that stopped me in my tracks, what I was most surprised by was the sheer intensity of energy and creativity our students demonstrated.

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Students had all of an hour and a half at the most to plan for the event. Continue reading →

Cacique Update, Uncategorized

Cacique Update October 29, 2011

by Spooky Caciques Tyler and Forrest

Slivers of light beamed through the trees, pillars in the dark night. Feet shuffled and nervous giggles escaped passed the lips of the DCMS students as they filed in and out of multiple haunted areas around campus. The night fell silent, eyes darted around the trees attempting to distinguish some of the monsters that surrounded them. Suddenly a dark figure rose out of a hole in the ground, “EEEEEEEEEE!!!! HEEEEEEHEEEEEEHEEEEE!!!!” It was echoed by the terrified screams of students and pound of running feet. The group scattered in all directions, and was met by the roar of a chainsaw, the whisper of a “motherless” Teschna, the melancholy songs of Anika and above all more terrified screams. The DCMS students, in their bright costumes, arrived with high expectations for the haunted campus and they left with pounding hearts and wide smiles.

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Cacique Update, Uncategorized

Empty Campus

For the next few days the campus will be quiet. No screams and giggles from dorms. No thudding and scurrying of feet along the conch lined walk ways. No classes. No morning exercise. All students are off on expedition! K1 and K4 are both on Down Island Trips, an educational road-trip across the island run by the Histories department. K2 and K3 are on opposite ends of their 8-Day Kayak trips. What that means for you, our readership, is that there are no Caciques on campus, and thus: no Cacique Updates. Luckily, this last week student Caciques have been busy busy busy and reluctant to get their updates turned in on time. So, I have a bit of a back-log of Updates to offer you in the next few days. Standby for Cacique thoughts on Island School  life from October 22nd, 24th, and 25th. But for now… enjoy these short hellos and goodbyes from K1, K3, and K4 and expect to hear more from K2 very soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZyWOsV8Rvc

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Greetings from the Oldest Student on Campus

Good day, Island School Blog readers!  This is Katie McDougall, the Fall 2011 “Master Teacher in Residence.”  By way of introduction, I hail from Nashville, TN where I’ve been teaching English at Ensworth High School.  Before that, I taught for a decade in Colorado Springs at The Colorado Springs School and at Cheyenne Mountain High School.  The Master Teacher position at The Island School was created so that a more experienced teacher can have a presence on campus and serve as a mentor to the many young teachers.  I came into this role quite serendipitously and have found myself amazed on a daily basis at this grand and sublime adventure.  (Right now as I type, the deep orange sun is rising over the ocean outside my front porch, confirming the accuracy of the word, sublime.)

As Master Teacher, one of my charges, in addition to team-teaching with the dynamic and fabulous Lit Department, is to regularly observe classes in subjects outside my discipline, and as a byproduct, I have become a student again.  I’ve been learning more broadly than I have for many years, and in doing so, I have had the unique opportunity to experience the full range of the students’ academic adventure (minus the homework.)  Continue reading →