From left to right we have Kristal, Shawnea, Breanna, and Mr. Simmons. The night was a big success and raised money to help the cause.

This picture shows the students in the plastic awareness group presenting their project. They are from left to right: Tyrin, Matt, Peter C, Kylisa, Jack, and Garric. They presented their project and showed the harmful effects of plastic on both people and the world. Both the cancer group and the plastic group prepared amazing videos to demonstrate the goals of their project. Excellent work by both groups! At the event, a table was set up to sell plastic jewelry made by the students and collect donations for The Cancer Society.

From left to right we have Keniesha, Travona,Tyrin, Demetria, and Zyria in the back row and Dashae up front. The night was a huge success for both groups and the students have loved working on the projects together.

Written by: Michael M and Shaquille

Yesterday morning, half of the Human Ecology project groups met while the other half of students stayed on campus to prepare the Octagon at CEI for the art show. Students have begun transforming the space into a world class art show, and it is awesome to see how quickly everything is coming together thanks to such focused work.

My Human Ecology project went to DeepCreekMiddle School campus to meet with the PE teacher and discuss our plans. Our group is addressing the lack of athletic opportunity for Deep Creek kids. While we originally planned to build a baseball field, after speaking with local students and teachers, we have decided to focus our energy on an athletic equipment shed located on DCMS campus. Additionally, we will be constructing multi-sport nets and refurbishing DCMS’ basketball court.  Although we were thrown off track slightly, we were able to overcome obstacles and plan a project based on the needs of the community rather than the interest of our group. Accepting failure and rolling with the punches is definitely a key part of a successful Human Ecology project. Besides, without the change of plans we never would have come up with our project’s new name: The Grateful Shed.

Last night we did a practice run on our research presentations, and all of the groups were very impressive. Our community is excited to welcome our parents and share all our amazing work this semester.

Even with all the hype for parent’s weekend, we are able to focus on having a very fun weekend. On Saturday, both run and swim tracks did our longest workout yet. In the morning some of the runners ran almost 12 miles, while the swimmers completed a 2.5 mile swim, our longest yet. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it, but I feel much more confident about the super swim after having done such a long distance. Even though everyone was falling asleep during dinner, we somehow found the energy to drive to Rock Sound for our final presentations for Community Outreach. The community center group was the center of attention because of their bake sale, which included the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies anyone has ever baked. I almost teared up a little after my first bite… and I’m getting hungry just thinking about them. Island School and Deep Creek Middle School members of the Cancer and Plastic Awareness groups gave heart wrenching presentations about two of the most dangerous issues here on Eleuthera. To benefit the Cancer Society on Eleuthera, the plastic team also sold home-made jewelry we constructed out of pieces of beach plastic. Despite the serious issues discussed, Saturday was a great day for everyone in the community and it was great to see Island School students working hard and having fun with their DCMS buddies.

Yesterday was Ashley’s birthday, and a great way to end an eventful weekend. Last night we took a little study break, and had a cookout on the beach in honor of her birthday. The burgers were delicious, compliments to the chef . To top it off we sang happy birthday and ate some chocolate cake. A great way to end a great weekend here at The Island School.

With Parent’s Weekend coming up, we are so excited for you to join our Island School community!
As you probably know, one of the cornerstones of the Island School mission is sustainability. When you visit, you will have the opportunity to see how much we have all learned about reducing and reusing our waste and how as a campus we strive to be as sustainable as possible. And you can join us in this mission. For our Human Ecology final project, we are focusing on the problem of single-use plastic usage here on Eleuthera.

So, please, help support us while you’re here by reducing your plastic waste! Two little things will make a big difference down here:

1. Bring down a reusable bag to use instead of plastic bags for shopping on the island.
2. Bring your own reusable water bottle for re-filling on campus and/or a to-go drinking mug for using when you purchase beverages at local restaurants.

Thanks so much and looking forward to seeing everyone!

- Madeleine, Sarah H, Charlotte, and Julia

The excitement continued as the caciques announced a break from Run and Swim tracks and that we  would instead be playing team sports….. and yoga. Students played basketball, water polo and I had an awesome game of soccer with a few other students at the Marina. Tsering scored at least 100 goals, and Anya stole the ball from me far more times than I’m willing to admit.

Human Ecology final projects are in full swing, and we have begun to have long block classes to work with our groups. We all are addressing a different problem at the Island School or beyond, and we work in groups to come up with a sustainable solution. Everyone is very excited to get started, and all the projects proposed are very promising. One problem students are addressing is the over-use of dive sites and how human contact can be a detriment to the health of the reef if it is visited over and over. An exciting solution a group proposed is attempting to sink a broken down bus at the saddle to create an artificial reef and an exciting new dive site.

As we prepare for parents to arrive, life at the Island School is very busy, but still just as fun.

Science under Sail Expedition Coordinator –EXU2013
Position Description
The Science under Sail Expedition Coordinator will assist the expedition leaders and students
during a 2-week sailing and science education program. The Expedition Coordinator will play a
key role in student mentorship, logistical planning, risk management, and leadership education
while on board. Responsibilities may include: student orientation to the Bahamian environment
and on-board living arrangements, organizing group logistics for excursions and daily activities,
creating scenarios that facilitate team-building, teaching several classes on leadership, risk
management, and your area of expertise as it relates to the expedition experience, encouraging
good student morale, enforcing rules and responsibilities, monitoring well-being of students and
staff, and generally modeling ideal expedition behavior and fostering a positive environment.
The Expedition Coordinator may also be involved in research and outreach activities.

To see the entire job posting, click here: Science Under Sail Expedition Coordinator. Application deadline is May 30!

Yesterday, the shark research team had a second encounter with a Lemon shark, only this one was a little bigger… I was leaning over the front of the boat checking our fishing line, when I noticed one of our hooks was sagging deep into the water. As I began to work my way towards the hook, I spotted him. A big, beautiful 7-foot Lemon was hooked cleanly. This was our very first Lemon shark we caught this semester, and a very exciting field day on the boat. Two lemon sharks in two days is pretty typical of my life here at Island School… I wonder how many people in the world can say that?

In Plastics, the students conducted beach plastic surveys to determine how much micro and macro plastic has washed up onshore different beaches of Eleuthera. The Aquaponics team learned more about the system located at CEI and built their own ‘backyard aquaponics’ model. The Sustainable Agriculture group worked on The Island School farm and designed their own grow bed and ‘herb spiral’. Check out a couple of the videos that the students created about their experience and the project they worked on!

IS alumnus Tom McDonough (S’08) was a counselor to DCMS student Lance Pelecanos at Camp Dudley in Summer 2012.

Every summer, a few lucky Deep Creek Middle School students have the opportunity to attend summer camp in the states and Canada. This year, students will spend the summer at Camp Chewonki in Wiscasset, Maine and Camp Deerwood in Holderness, New Hampshire.

Part of what makes these experiences possible for the DCMS kids is help from Island School alumni families. If you are interested in helping or finding out more about our summer camp program, please email alumni@islandschool.org.