As the parents of our spring 2011 students settle back into homes and offices today, we wanted to share these videos once again to hopefully put a smile on your face this Monday morning…

At The Island School, a large component of student research classes take place in the field. Field time is spent running experiments and collecting data, which are critical to the development of parent’s weekend presentations  and the science symposium. This video gives you a look at the fun behind all the hard work!

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With the rest of the patch team on kayak and down island rotations, Aidan and I were the only two in research class last week. Although it was only been the two of us, we were able to get a lot of surveying done. As we spend our field time snorkeling and surveying, both Aidan and I have realized improvement in our skills. Fish ID and free diving among the patch reefs have become second nature to us. Continue reading →

This morning I am thinking about space.  I am thinking about space and proximity and power.  Last week I returned from a Down Island Trip, a three day road trip around Eleuthera supported by the Histories Department looking at tourism and development.  I was one of the four staff members that accompanied K1, the very first of S11’s students to embark on the epic voyage of 8-Day Kayak.  They returned from their 8-Days and in a matter of less than a day, were back in their Island School uniforms being shuttled around in vans and Harknessing on command.  This transition back from kayak to land proved difficult for some, inspired frustration and even resentment from others.  Tension grew between students and faculty.  On our last night, in a circle, under the stars, camping in a grassy field adjacent to Preacher’s Cave, students gave voice to their frustration. Continue reading →

by Jon Vredenburg

The feel on campus is completely different now. The eight days spent on the sapphire waters, three days of venturing down island, and eight days of rigorous work broke the pattern of classes we had built into over the course of the semester. With our human ecology projects decided and talk of finals week becoming increasingly common, I realize the end is near. I am honored to have been chosen to edit the cacique blogs for the next two weeks. To me, this is another 30 minutes every day to reflect on the previous day of The Island School experience.

Welcome home baby Slarzben and Hicvan!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtIs-vbl5eA

The Biodigestion Team is thrilled to announce:

Haldrew, Taylor, Dave, Jake and Sam are excited to have two new siblings!

Please welcome the two newest additions to our mesophilic family: Continue reading →

The Deep Creek Middle School (DCMS) is an independent school for Bahamian students in grades seven through nine located on the southern end of the island of Eleuthera. DCMS, a grantee of the Cape Eleuthera Foundation, offers an experiential approach to the Bahamian curriculum for students in South Eleuthera.

DCMS was founded in September 2001 with the goal of increasing access to educational resources for people of South Eleuthera. DCMS works closely with The Island School and the Cape Eleuthera Institute to offer students and staff a unique experience that connects them more intimately with their environment and on-going efforts for sustainable development and environmental stewardship in South Eleuthera.

The cost of education for a DCMS student for one year is $8,500.  Families of students contribute up to $1,500 per year; the rest of the tuition is financed by generous individuals or foundations who choose to sponsor a student during their time at DCMS through the Cape Eleuthera Foundation.

Over the past several years, DCMS has had 16 alumni attend boarding school in the United States. Five of the current grade nine students will travel to the US this fall to study at The Lawrenceville School (NJ), Wilbraham and Monson Academy (MA), Lawrence Academy (MA), The Pennington School (NJ), and Perkioman (PA). These students will receive in total almost $1,000,000 in scholarship and aid packages over their four year high school studies.

Students at The Island School work with the students of Deep Creek Middle School on community outreach projects each semester. The partnership offers Island School students the opportunity to serve as mentors to DCMS students and to develop strong bonds with local families. This semester the students are working together on community initiatives developed by grade 9 students at DCMS, ranging from raising awareness for the need for better medical care on Eleuthera to developing a speaker series directed at young men on Eleuthera to reduce school drop-out rates.

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On May 3, 2011 the inoculation of the manure/glycerine mixture happened for all of our digesters. Our original four digesters, Sam, Jake, Dave and Taylor, have now been replenished three times, and the new addition to biodigester family, Haldrew, has received its second filling. We also spent time constructing our next two digesters, which will contain a mixture of 9% and 11% glycerol, respectively, but we’re saving their inoculation for class on Thursday so that their seals can set properly. Ample drying time is crucial to the sealing process—it maintains the anaerobic environment that we need to make biogas. Continue reading →

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George Giannos (F10) returned to his sending school, The Lawrenceville
School, and realized they were missing a big opportunity to grow food on
campus.  After his experience in the Aquaponics research group, he brought
his skills back to NJ and developed an independent study to retro fit a
greenhouse on campus for an aquaponics systems. Continue reading →