Everyone who I met when I told them that I would be going SCUBA diving at The Island School said that each dive would be an incredible experience and that my first breath underwater would be one that I would never forget. SCUBA diving is one of the things that The Island School offered that really pulled me in and got me interested in the program. I was so excited once I got here to finally go on my first dive and have the experience of my life. Four days into the semester, rotation week started. During rotation week, half of the students go on a three-day kayak trip and the other half has three-day SCUBA training. I really wanted to have SCUBA training first partly because I didn’t want to have to leave the campus just after I arrived, but mostly because I was way to excited to dive.

After putting together out kits (this part should not be taken lightly as setting up kits takes some time and they’re pretty heavy) we were ready to descend and start our training underwater. My first breath was exactly the opposite of what everyone told me it would be like. I was scared, I was breathing at an unstructured pace, and I was panicking. In addition to this, I could not manage to sink to the bottom of the six-foot drop where we would do our training. I had to be quite literally pulled to the bottom by my SCUBA instructor.

When the first day was over I decided that I didn’t like diving. I was disappointed because I wanted so badly to love it and be good at it but I didn’t love it and I wasn’t good at it. Even with these thoughts in my mind, I went back out in full spirits the next day to continue training. I did slightly better and enjoyed it a little more day two but I was still bad and I was still dreading having to go back for one more day of training. The third day was completely unlike the first two days. We went on our first deep-sea dive, 40 feet for half an hour, and I did as well as I ever did. I managed to sink straight down (which normally is something you don’t exactly wish for when in the middle of the ocean) and I kept myself balanced at the bottom and I wasn’t breathing at a strange pace and I wasn’t scared. I was feeling what I was told I would feel. The day ended with getting SCUBA certified, a feat that I was very proud of, and root beer floats (If you’ve been to The Island School then you know how crazy that is, and if you’re applying to The Island School in the future, root beer floats aren’t something I’d necessarily count on having all the time).

Since SCUBA week, I have been on three dives for Marine Ecology and loved each one more than the last. The first couple of seconds when I am dropping down into the bright blue ocean still take me aback every time. When you drop into the ocean when diving, it truly feels like you are diving into a new world. You forget everything around you and nothing is wrong-everything is right. SCUBA diving is empowering and it is something that I look forward to every week and something I look back on to see my huge growth that has already taken place.

(Hi to Mike, Nolan, and Molly)

Check out some work Spring ’16 students produced for an Art / Human Ecology project! Their assignment was to take photographs that tell the visual story of some aspect of the sustainable systems on campus.

Meg Manning:

The central question posed at the Island School is “How does one live well in a place?” In order for this school to continue the goal of sustainability, we must strive to be carbon neutral…  If we can achieve this goal, then this question can begin to be answered. On a more personal level, the way that I can live well in this place is by continuing to ask questions. Would becoming carbon neutral be through investing in more biodiesel or more wind and solar energy? How much would this cost? Some of these questions can’t be answered right off the bat, but that is the focus of this photo story, to challenge the systems we have place here at the Island School. If I’m not digging deeper into the reasoning behind such systems, I am doing something wrong.​

Caroline Peters

To live well in this place, I must be a part of the community. I must share and look out for others and their interests as well as my own. I also should not waste resources, for the sake of the community and the environment. In these images, I was trying to capture the subtle beauty of the Aquaponics system. By taking detailed, abstract photos I was able to really see the details of the system, which allowed me to think more deeply about the sustainability of the system. It also led me to more questions…

Lizzie Feldman-DeMello

I think in order to live well in a place one would have to connect with that place physically and emotionally. Honestly I had never thought too much about it until I read the pre-semester reading by Lopez on Columbus’ discovery of the new land. By physically I mean one should be aware of what resources that place has to offer. When I say emotionally I mean one should be empathetic to the planet; not abuse what it has to offer and try to conserve its beauty and resources. One who lives well in a place knows how to use the natural resources to his or her best advantage by conserving the resources as much as he or she can, not being greedy with how much he or she takes and appreciating his or her surroundings. To live well in this place, I need to be aware of my surroundings and appreciate every single second of it without taking anything for granted.

Here on campus, we’ve been carefully monitoring the continued coverage of the Zika Virus.  We would like to reiterate that no cases have been reported in the Bahamas, and also that we will continue to keep a watchful eye on the progress of the virus.

We on Eleuthera have been following the reporting on the Zika virus in the news and want to update you on our response and address some concerns that have been raised.  We are aware of the spread of the Zika virus throughout South America and the Caribbean, and are monitoring the CDC, PAHO/WHO, the US Embassy in Nassau, and local media and public health reporting in The Bahamas for updates. The CDC does not currently list The Bahamas as having any reported cases of Zika virus infection. Because the spread of Zika and other viruses to all countries where Aedes aegypti are endemic is predicted, we are applying our standing mosquito protection protocols for our community as usual.

The spread of these viral diseases is difficult to monitor properly – as the article mentions, infections of a specific type can only be verified in a laboratory test.  We encourage prevention of mosquito bites – some students bring personal no-see-um mesh camping type nets for their beds, and bug-net pants and tops. We also promote use of DEET and encourage covering up with long socks and long pants and long sleeves.

We also monitor the CDC for general medical issues:

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/clinician/none/the-bahamas

and the US State Department for safety, travel, and security:

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/the-bahamas.html

and

https://www.osac.gov/Pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=17138

We recommend you read the information in the above links and be familiar with the local issues.

The health of our students and communication with families have always been top priorities. Please reach out if you have any questions.

Read the prepared PDF from Global Rescue LLC here

The Island School community was honored to welcome Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto to our campus last week.  She gave a presentation to our staff and students in Hallig House where people were overflowing onto the deck.  Themes of her presentation revolved around foreign policy, women’s rights, and sustainability. Her focus on climate change and the included political challenges was very pertinent to the studies here at the Island School. She pointed out the political challenges of working on climate change policy, but was certainly optimistic about the number of people she works with who were determined to find solutions.

Ambassador Hamamoto was sworn in as the 18^th Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva in May, 2014 by Vice President Joe Biden.  She is the second woman to serve in this position since 1958. As ambassador, Pamela Hamamoto oversees a staff of around 250 diplomats and locally employed staff representing over 15 different U.S. government agencies. The United States Mission in Geneva engages daily on issues such as refugee and migrant crises, global health, international law, economic development, internet governance, trade, climate change/the environment, arms control, and human rights.

Ambassador Hamamoto’s final message to our eager students was this: you have to make the change you want to see.  While students are here, they will be exposed to many important issues about sustainability, biology, and policy.  The education and tools to make change will be provided, but what it comes down to is personal drive.  The ambassador made it clear that the path toward large-scale change will always be demanding and sometimes frustrating, but our students are in a position of great opportunity.

Chris Maxey closed with words about the importance of family.  Ambassador Hamamoto’s husband and two children were in attendance, and clearly were a strong support system to her demanding and integral position in world diplomacy.  Maxey connected the concept of support back to the Island School family and how these students will always be able to rely on their ties to Eleuthera and the Island School.

Thank you, Ambassador Hamaomto, for your inspirational words and time taken to ensure our students know their potential and opportunities.

I had bid goodbye to one of the most exciting chapters of my life, my experience at Island school, just two years prior. I was dying to get back to the water and be face-to-face with the sharks I learned to love and respect during my semester at Island School and summers interning with CEI.  An e-mail arrived from an ocean conservation foundation inviting me to join a scholars program exploring the Cayman Islands.  The leaders, Georgienne Bradley and Jay Ireland, promised a combination learning experience including science, conservation and underwater videography.  I jumped at the opportunity and they delivered in spades.

My experience with Sea Save Foundation during this program synergized with the passion I had brought away from Island School.  The direction of my life path had been changed forever.  My relationship with Sea Save has continued and flourished over the years.  I have learned about national and international public policy and watched their leaders play critical roles at CITES as well as in local political ocean campaigns such as shark finning regulations with AB 376 and plastic bans in California.

I was reunited with the team last fall when I joined them on an expedition to Cocos Island, a World Heritage Site known for its remote locale and proliferation of megafauna.  Because Sea Save leaders assisted with the development of the UNESCO petition of admission, we were afforded excellent access. My dives were punctuated by visits from whales, turtles, schools of jacks, tiger sharks, hammerheads, eagle rays, whale sharks and many other mesmerizing species.

Sea Save is currently planning an intimate excursion to Cat Island in our loved Bahama-land from May 9 – 15, 2016.  This fundraiser is open to ten participants and will place SCUBA and free divers face to face with oceanic white tips in the open ocean.  This high adrenaline encounter is a perfect opportunity to capture still photographs and video that will be used to promote ocean conservation.

This is a great group of people, they are accomplishing much and they create a fun environment within which we can enjoy the ocean and support conservation. Learn more by going here.

Or send an e-mail to: expeditions@seasave.org

This month, The Island School welcomed Brad Weiler and Sarah Richardson who are undergraduate students at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. Brad and Sarah have spent two weeks with us working on coral disease transmissibility through biotic vectors. They hope to find patterns in transient fish populations, sponge, algae and coral species that may be responsible for spreading disease.

Brad will be staying with us for another two weeks to collect more data and do fieldwork for additional research projects. We are excited to be able to provide resources such as staff, boats, and housing for this project.

Feel free to check out their blog at https://coralresearchblog.wordpress.com/ and their Instagram @CoralResearch for more information on their project!

Doug Cowper, Bahamas Trade Manager for Tropical Shipping, recently traveled to South Eleuthera with a giant check (and we do mean giant) that will support Bahamian scholarships at Deep Creek Middle School and Cape Eleuthera Island School/Institute. After visiting the settlement of Deep Creek, Mr. Cowper shared, “It was great to get a tour with the Deep Creek Middle School students and learn about their commitment to sustainability.” Deep Creek Middle School was the first school in The Bahamas to receive the Green Flag award and currently provides education for approximately 50 local students.

Tropical Shipping, a member of the SALTCHUK group of companies has been the leader in container and ocean transport services to The Bahamas for more than 40 years.  Wherever Tropical sails, they are sure to bring a focus on supporting community.  “The best way to uplift a community is to invest in young people…our core value at Tropical Shipping has always been that our people are our priority,” says Tropical CEO Rick Murrell.

During his time on Eleuthera, Doug Cowper also toured the Cape Eleuthera Institute and The Island School and was able to meet with graduates of the Bahamas Environmental Stewards Scholar program (BESS), a year-long post graduate opportunity to attend Island School and gain professional experience out in the conservation arena working with BNT or BREEF.   The Cape Eleuthera Foundation invests over  $500 k annually to support Bahamian students and the Tropical Leadership gift of $62,500 is a giant boost to the continued support of future leaders of The Bahamas. Much thanks to Tropical Shipping and to Doug for making the trip!

Have you ever been to a place where you have 28 sisters? At home, I am the eldest child and I have a younger brother who is five years younger than me. I had gone to camp for 6 years and had lived in a cabin with 8 other girls, but I have never truly experienced dorm life quite like Island School girls’ dorm. All of the girls in both North and South dorm have a bond that is incomparable to any other friendship or sisterhood. We eat together, work together, dive together, sleep together, and have so much fun. There is no feeling quite like waking up next to your best friend for 100 days. In these past 3 months, the memories that have been made in the girls’ dorm are ones that I will never forget. Whether it is laughing so hard that someone pees or crying because of stress, we are always there for each other and have created the best support system there is. I love you Girl’s Dorm and I will never forget the time we spent together in our 100 days.

The dinning hall was empty. Andrieka, Aissatu and Rikki and I are in the photo. We just finished a sandwich and we are happy and tired. We successfully completed the four mile ocean swim!

A little before 8 AM we gather on Sunset Beach and circle with our new yellow swim caps and our swim buddies for a final stretch. All hands are in the middle palms facing up to promote positive energy for a last cheer. We enter the water and our support team, all who completed the half marathon the day before, are with us cheering from the beach and from kayaks and boats.

Andrieka is my buddy and through her huge smile I sense her courage and her fear. The count down launches us into the clear shallow water and the acute angle of the sun casts shadows across the rocky bottom. We pull together over reefs into a flooding current. We swim over lobsters and rays and an abundance of colorful fish darting out to see what is splashing above. We pass a curious barracuda and a shy reef shark.

When we peak out around the first point the turn-around boat seems so far away. On the cliffs our run team cheers us on and Catherine Klem is there watching over us in a kayak.

On the way back there are times when you might call the kayak over and quit. Andrieka finds hidden strength down the last stretch of beach and hits the finish float. The shore erupts with celebration.

Andrieka and I swam together for four and a half hours to finish. Rikki and her buddy Ian passed us way back. Max re-injured his right shoulder and swam most of the way with only one good arm and never considered pulling out. Aissatu could not swim when she arrived 97 days ago and she braved her way to the finish with her buddy Emma in just under 6 hours.

This is why we are so proud and why the dining hall is so quiet. The journey continues…..

When I was told I got to write a blog, I was excited to share some of the many amazing experiences I have had here at The Island School. Unfortunately early last week I ran into a tree during one of our run-swims, and got a concussion. Because of this I have not been able to write about what I anticipated writing about. So instead I would like to share a poem I wrote earlier this semester for literature class. I wrote this poem about how most of us will be going home to the cold very soon. For me personally, I often leave my snowy hometown, Jackson Hole Wyoming for a warmer climate, but always end up coming home and learning to love the snow time and time again.

Cold
Snow cascades to the ground
The golden leaves that were once on the trees are now buried until spring
Cold
The wind feels like a slap in the face as you walk out the door
You try to walk but the glistening ice stares you in the face
Cold
Your fingers are as blue as the sky
Your nose as red as the fire
Cold
You want to leave but
The snow pulls you back time after time
Cold