Cacique Update

Cacique Update September 25, 2011

by Caciques Maddy and Ian

A Poem Update by Maddy:

Waking up, it’s a brand new day

All of the rain got chased away

Waking up it’s the early morn

Shhh.. you have to be quiet inside the dorm.

Doing some homework before the day starts

Makes me feel so awesome and smart.

I walk to the boats, excited inside

The water is currently at low tide

We boat to blue holes ready to dive

We want to see lionfish, we’re so alive

Justin and Rob dive down with spears

And I have to wonder if they’ve been doing this for years

Some of us practice shooting the sand

There are no lionfish, nothing goes as planned,

We try two more sights and it’s obviously clear

That they’re much deeper down than they appear

Rob catches one that he had chased way deep down

We all crowded round to see the lionfish with the great big frown

We got back in the boats to head back to school

I got to practice free diving and that was so cool.

This morning was educational and fun

We got to swim in the nice warm sun.

That’s what I did on my morning off

Even though my bed was so soft.

A Reflection by Ian:

Sunday is easily my favorite day of the week here. Continue reading →

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New Cacique Update Blog Editor!

Show don’t tell. Three words simple words that make the world of difference in writing, three words that have been branded into my writing by my teachers atExeter. I didn’t like it at first, it took longer, and at times would go horribly wrong but they have made a huge difference in my abilities as a writer. As the new cacique blog editor, I would like to help incorporate that simple phrase into the upcoming blog posts. My name is Tyler Courville. I grew up in a small town in St. Ignatius, MT until my freshman year when I was accepted into Phillips Exeter Academy. One year after my first departure from home I got a plane again only this time I was headed in a completely different direction, The Bahamas. The Island School has changed my perception on sustainability and my outlook on culture and life. I am excited to work with the Caciques this fall.

Cacique Update, Uncategorized

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, Uncategorized

Cacique Update September 22, 2011

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[slideshow]

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 →

Cacique Update

Cacique Update September 21, 2011

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by Caciques Annie B and Helen

Wednesday mornings: sacred sleep in days… except for those brave enough to venture out to Tunnel Rock for an early morning free dive! Those of us who took Maxey’s advice “You can take a dirt nap at the end of your life”, woke up bright and early and headed out to the boats, “Mac Daddy” and “Kenny T”. Once we arrived at Tunnel Rock and anchored our boats, we all jumped into the wavy waters and began our dives. In pairs of two, we took turns diving down toward the vibrant reefs, taking in as much of the beautiful scenery as we could in one breath. Practice truly must make perfect, because the more we tried, the better we got, and soon enough we were all making impressively deep dives. After the sun had risen well above the waters, we made our way back to the boats, and back to campus… just in time for breakfast. Waking up early that morning and jumping in the salty ocean, rather than sleeping in my warm bunk was one of the best choices I’ve made so far at The Island School. Though it was simply a fun morning activity, it was a phenomenal way for me to “seize the day”, and made me appreciate the true meaning of living life in the moment. -Annie

Today, in the tradition of true Bahamian culture, we were introduced to conch fishing by a local fisherman, Nehemiah. After studying sustainable fishing practices in Human Ecology, we decided to go out and do some fishing of our own.

Continue reading →

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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

Deep Creek Middle School, Uncategorized

DCMS Students’ Day at the Sandbar

[slideshow]

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.