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Cacique Update September 23, 2011

By Caciques Sam and Tyler

“A Little MJ”    Today was the highlight to my week! It all started with a little Michael Jackson-The way you make me feel. It was the perfect way to wake up at6 a.m. The second reason to today’s highlight was THE RAIN!!! This morning we swam with an overcast sky and a light rain falling down our goggles. Every student worked on their stroke technique and then did some sprints. It was such a refreshing way to wake up! During classes, one of the students, Anna, came into my math class to talk about the cisterns. Because we are in the rainy season at theBahamas, our water level should be between 90-100%…however ours is currently at 74%. But no fear! It poured all day today! During research hours, I asked if I could go outside and run in the rain. With approval from my flats teacher, Leanne, Tori and I dashed outside into the rain dancing and doing cart wheels. Students from the other research groups looked at us as if we were crazy, but after a few minutes of watching the joy the rain brought us, they followed along. 8 students joined me in taking the best outdoor shower of the semester! As caciques, Tyler and I wanted to have a unique and fun pass off. We decided to give our pass off in a Doctor Seuss poem and rap/poem. We spent breakfast, lunch, and the 20 minutes before dinner preparing for our epic poem…and man it was epic! Tyler and I wrapped up our duty of caciques by playing more Michael Jackson during dinner. Michael Jackson in the morning, rain dancing, and more Michael Jackson at night-today was awesome. -Sam

 

Cold by definition is “having or being a temperature that is uncomfortably low for humans” however uncomfortable is not how I would have described myself as I ran through the rain this morning, my flip-flops slapping the ground with each slippery step. I would actually say I felt more comfortable than I had in a long time. I ran up the steps of the dining hall ducking my head under the water dripping off the roof as if I could somehow dodge the stream of water coming off the roof. Continue reading

Cacique Update September 22, 2011

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by Caciques Tessa and Katie T

Tonight was a particularly special night in the community. The Cape Eleuthera Foundation consists of three organizations, The Island School, Deep Creek Middle School and Cape Eleuthera Institute. Tonight, members of all three associations came together for the foundation dinner; there were almost one hundred attendees. Though we cross paths, it is rare for us students to have a chance to get to know the people involved in CEI and DCMS, tonight was the perfect night for just that. Continue reading

Fall Island School Receptions!

The Island School is going on the road! In September and October we will be hosting receptions in New York City, Connecticut, Maine, and Boston. These events are for anyone interested in The Island School: perspective students and parents, upcoming students and parents, Island School alums and their parents, former faculty, and anyone who has questions and wants to learn more.

Bring along friends or send invites on to anyone who may be interested! You can read more about the events and their specific locations and dates by clicking here.  Please RSVP to Hannah Mauck at hannahmauck@islandschool.org  and we hope to see you there!
– The Island School

DCMS Students’ Day at the Sandbar

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Students from the 8th grade class at DCMS stepped out of the classroom and into a boat to further investigate the formation of the islands of The Bahamas. The trip was organized by the social studies, math and science teachers to give the students to chance to get their feet wet and their hands dirty with a practical application of their classroom lessons. Students dug with their hands deep into the sand to learn that for miles and miles below the surface they would find the same thing: limestone ooids. They discussed with Mr. Maxey where the raw materials for the ooids came from and how wind, currents and tides had brought them to this place. Students also had the chance to act out a small play on the formation of ooids with students playing the roles of calcium atoms, carbonate molecules, microscopic dust and even evaporating water molecules. Finally, students were asked to gaze out at the horizon and ponder how far away it was and to think about how the Pythagorean theorem could be used to find the answer. It was a great experience for the students to see how the different subject areas are connected and to spur further questions to be investigated back at school.

Cacique Update September 16, 2011

by Caciques Jamie Perritt and Hallie Coon

Today started out with run and swim tracks. Split in half, 24 of us had the fortune of being able to run the four mile loop; starting and ending at the flag pole in the center of campus. Classes resumed as usual with math and histories followed by our first 5 hour research block. All of the research groups set off into the field to collect data for numerous experiments being conducted by the students. We battled through strong currents to collect water samples, we took out boats in hopes of finding conch, and we dove in search of invasive lion fish. The long hours were spent sweating in the sun over expansive creeks and sitting in wet labs organizing tedious data in hopes to reach conclusions on the filtration of the water surrounding the mangroves. Continue reading

Cacique Update September 15, 2011

by Cacique Annie Blanc

Rolling backwards off my SCUBA boat, watching my world turn upside down and fill with bubbles, I thought again about what I would be doing had I been at home right at that moment. Probably sitting in math class, being talked at by a teacher who still doesn’t know my name. I begin my descent into the underwater world, buddy by my side, still finding it difficult to realize that I’m in class right now. My Island School experience has been a series of challenges, like gathering the courage to jump off of High Rock, or go SCUBA diving for the first time. When I think about my two and a half weeks all together, I find it hard to pick out particular moments. There are too many moments to choose from – they all just form together to make a journey that I’ve only just begun, but can already tell will be one of the most important journeys of my life. I haven’t even been here for three weeks, and I already feel as if this community has been eating lunch, doing dishes, and having Harkness discussions together for three years. My Island School experience so far has been one of new beginnings, perfect blue skies, and more laughter than I ever could have imagined. It’s been one of bugs, warm water, sand (EVERYWHERE), and extreme heat…and I wouldn’t change a single second of it.

Lville Office Going for Gold!

Hello Hello!

As many of you know, there is an Island School gem located in NJ called The Island School Lawrenceville Office (aka “The Lville Office”).  It’s a small but lively place that has been there since the beginning of the IS journey in 1999.  These days we are growing and there are 4 awesome employees that make the Lville Office tick: Pam Maxey (co-founder), Mary Assini (S00), Hannah Mauck (F04) and Scott Aland (S05).  You may or may not notice that alumni are slowly taking over…

But lets get to the important business of this post–The Lville Office (plus Chris Maxey and Christian Henry) are doing a sprint triathlon for charity on October 2nd and we want you to join us!!!!  You can run, swim, bike, do all three, or just cheer!  Us office mates will be completing the full event but you can find some pals and do it as a relay group.  The event is called the Treasure Island Sprint Triathlon and you can read more about it and register by clicking here.

So dust off those half-marathon shoes, pump up your tires, and find your good ole pair of IS board shorts and meet us on the Jersey Shore on October 2nd!  And don’t worry, this is just the first of a number of Lville Office events so if you can’t make it this time, there will be another.

Hope to see you there and don’t be stranger and drop by the office some time!

–The Island School Lville Office Team

p.s. Also, if anyone is doing the Philadelphia Rock n Roll Half Marathon on Sunday September 18th, let us know!  Both Scott and Mary are summoning their IS experience and training, and giving 13.1 another shot and would love to meet up with you!

Use GoodSearch.com to Support The Cape Eleuthera Foundation!

Want to make a big difference in small way? It’s easy, especially with GoodSearch.com! Instead of using Google or other search engines, you can use GoodSearch and with each search, a penny is donated to your charity of choice. The Cape Eleuthera Foundation is lucky to be one of those charities, so each time you search you can help us out down on the Cape. It’s amazing how fast the pennies can add up! Have a good weekend and happy searching!

350.org Event and T-Shirt Design

On September 24, The Cape Eleuthera Foundation will be participating in 350.org‘s Moving Planet Day event to think of ways we can move beyond fossil fuels. 350ppm is the safe limit of carbon in our atmosphere, and we’re currently at 394 (and rising!). We want to make sure our IS students, as well as the greater community of IS parents, alumni, and CEF supporters know this number and can teach others about it and how daily actions can contribute to or reduce greenhouse gases.

Since we’re already primarily human-powered or driven by renewable energy here at The Island School, we can take it a step further and look at local solutions to carbon sequestration (reducing that 394 number). Therefore, we have chosen to have a teach-in on September 24 where students, IS faculty, and CEI researchers will discuss this number and its significance and then actually DO something about it by planting 350 propagules (baby mangroves) on campus in the wetland that connects The Island School and CEI campuses.

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