The weekend of October 7-9 should have been the first official on-island reunion for Island School alumni. However, due to damages and unforeseen obstacles caused by Hurricane Irene in late August, the original plans for this reunion required some adjustment. Despite the various setbacks, The Island School was still more than happy to welcome back the small number of alumni who made the trek to Eleuthera last weekend. Gracie Payne (F’01), Patrick DiLoreto (F’04), John DiLoreto (F’08), Wes Mize (S’06), and Kevin Delaney (F’08) joined us for a weekend full of all things Island School!
Cacique Update October 14, 2011
by Caciques Tyler and Anika
I caressed the slip of paper in my hand as I walked up to Cam. My eyes were covered by a pair of Aviators that were bigger than my face. I walked up to her and slipped the piece of paper into her hand. She looked up at me, her eyes curious. I nodded curtly and saw her eyes widen before she nodded in response. On the slip was a name; Teschna and it was circled in red. She looked up at me before turning towards the door and running out of the dining hall to catch Teschna. I took off my glasses and smiled smugly, my next slip of paper already in my hand. Today, Anika and I organized a game where students compete in a clandestine game where at the end of the day, only one individual wins. It started with just students but by lunch had moved among the teachers. Tensions were high among the students and the teachers and the campus was filled with paranoid glances. I was happy with the turn-out of the game and I am sure that a more organized version would be definitely be an option for the oncoming weeks.
Community Outreach Project Update
By Hallie Coon and Keniesha Pinder
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At Deep Creek Middle School, the eighth graders and their Island School buddies have been working on the issue dengue fever. The class has divided into many smaller groups to work on projects such as the radio group, print media, standing water, and the community presentation group. Continue reading
Thoughts from Blog Chore
by Cacique Update Editor Claire
It’s early morning and Annie and I are sitting on the dining hall deck as the sun rises in front of us. Each of us are busy at work writing blogs. This is the scene that unfolds every morning for me being on blog chores, each time with a different cacique. I have the pleasure of sitting with the cacique of the day and hearing about what was special for them that day. Often times it’s events that were barely memorable to me, but as they describe it, I get a brand new prospective on the past day. These past few days have been long workouts, then sleep-ins which means we don’t have chores. I have missed this tranquil time in the morning these past few days. I love the idea of reaching out to everyone at home through writing and I am glad that we’re back to chores, even though things are about to get even more busy and exciting here at The Island School! Eight-Day Kayak rotations start Monday!
The anticipation of the coming weeks is buzzing on campus. In the short time we have been on campus everyone has come together so much it’s so strange to think half of us won’t be here. Kayak is another exciting event which the whole community comes together to enjoy and work through together. The sun has come out on Eleuthera! We hope the weather continues as our first group heads out on their kayak trip!
Island School Math Class Takes on Water Issues
Back at home, it’s easy to think that when you turn on a tap, water will come out. Here at The Island School, however, we have learned that water is not an unlimited resource. In fact, our water supply is contained within five underground cisterns on our campus. The water that fills our cisterns comes from the sky, and roofs across campus collect this water, which then flows directly into the cisterns. We draw water from one cistern at a time for drinking, cooking, showering, and various other purposes. Each morning during chores, the Cistern Crew is responsible for measuring the level of water in each of the five cisterns, and entering the data into an Excel spreadsheet. This data is then examined to determine how much water we have used up and how much is left. The problem is that, currently, there is no real system behind deciding which cistern we draw water from. Over the past few weeks in math class, we have been figuring out a solution to this problem.
Cacique Update October 13, 2011
by Caciques Annie B. and Marius
Annie: Today I was truly inspired. In our Literature class, we had to write a 12 line “Found” poem, relating to the current book we’re reading, Omeros. In a “Found” poem, the idea is to find words or lines from a piece of work that stick out to you, and create a poem out of them. In this assignment, we were told to do this within our most recent assignment of reading from Omeros. Seeing as it wasn’t a graded assignment, I assumed most people would throw 12 lines about Achille’s identity struggles onto a sheet of paper ten minutes before class… but I was wrong. I was in awe as I sat in listening to the poems people had written in class the next day. Everyone had created such incredible pieces, and it really showed me how much people care about this place we’re in. It showed me that we really are in an incredible place with incredible power, and the fact that everyone put so much effort into their work was incredibly inspiring. One poem especially stuck out to me; Jane Drinkard wrote a phenomenal poem referencing the pain and inner struggles that protagonist Achille faced in Omeros. Continue reading
Cacique Update October 10, 2011
by Caciques William and Katie H.
William: Waking up yesterday morning, the only thing on my mind was Morning Exercise. This was the day of our second timed Run/Swim. I thought of countless ways that I could improve my time from the previous Run/Swim. Listening to other students around me I could see that this was everyone’s goal, to do better. I feel that my time here at The Island School has nurtured within me the spirit of self-improvement and that between each student a motivation to cheer each other on. The inspiration to do better seemingly was the theme of the day. Continue reading
DCMS Softball Glove Drive
The students of Deep Creek Middle School need your help!
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Our softball team needs spare baseball and softball gloves to help win their first softball game in the school’s history. Last year DCMS came so close to accomplishing that goal but fell short by just one hit or catch on multiple occasions. This year the students plan to break the streak and bring home a victory. DCMS has proven to have competitive, if not superior, teams in other sports like basketball, where the girls went undefeated and won the Eleuthera championship, and track, where DCMS won 20 medals at the all-island track meet. One of the reasons we haven’t had the same success in softball is our lack of resources. We don’t have enough gloves at the school to supply both our boys and girls teams. We managed last year by having our girls and boys practice on different days but it left no time for other activities like eco-club, drama and junkanoo. This year we have access to two different fields, so we now can have practices on the same day, however, we still do not have enough gloves. Some parents have already purchased gloves for the students, but since gloves run about $60 each that is not an option for everyone. Please help out the students of DCMS by bringing down any old baseball or softball gloves that you would be willing to donate when you come for Parent’s Weekend in November!
Thank you in advance from all of us at Deep Creek Middle School!
Patch Reef Research Update
An aquamarine ocean, stretching from the shallowest of waters to the deepest of abyss may be a lonely place; at times nothing but stretches of white sand and swaying sea grass is found upon the seafloor. Following a yellowtail snapper though, one may find themselves floating over a bustling patch reef. What is a patch reef you may ask? Located in shallow waters, these isolated coral reef outcrops, with an array of brightly colored fish and slow moving invertebrates; provide an essential transitional habitat for juvenile fish still unequipped for the strains of the open ocean. Continue reading
Eleutheros
This year, the Human Ecology, Histories, and Literature Departments have collaborated on a series ongoing assignments. Each week students are asked to write a reflective essay that demonstrates their understanding of the themes from their coursework and effectively links these themes to their unique thoughts and experiences. Enjoy reading how our students have deeply and personally engage with essential questions, important to their course of study at The Island School…
This Weeks Prompt: How does culture affect one’s relationship with the ocean?
“The Glue that Holds Us Together” by Helen Russell
My first memory is at the beach. I was four years old at Bethany Beach, Maryland with my dad’s side of the family and I was playing in the waves with my grandpa. It was the first year that my brother was with us, having been born the previous winter and everyone was obsessed with the baby. Like a typical four-year-old with a new baby in the family, I was feeling pretty neglected. But that day my grandpa had said that he wanted to go to the beach just me and him, to have “grandpa, granddaughter” time. So we make our way to the beach, me with my floaties around my arms and my towel dragging behind me. The only way that I remember all these details is because of pictures I have of myself that summer. So we played in the waves and for the first time in my life, I wondered when the ocean ended. So I asked my grandpa how the blue went on forever and he said that it was like glue that held all the continents together. He said that they were so far apart that the glue had to stretch over the sides of the Earth and that if I could swim all the way out to the horizon, then I could see the next continent. So that was my first definition of the Ocean: the glue that held the continents together. Continue reading