“It’s Not About You”
Check out this article from the New York Times – a great reminder of how our vision of “Leadership Effecting Change” applies to life outside The Island School.
“Most people don’t form a self and then lead a life. They are called by a problem, and the self is constructed gradually by their calling.”
Cacique Update June 5, 2011
The day had come. Either by choice, or because we were forced to: every student packed one of the large duffels that they came with. These bags would be sent ahead of our flights on Wednesday, so as to not over-weight the planes we depart on. In just two days we will meet our bags back home. T-shirts were exchanged, tears were shed, and at some point in time people came to the realization that we only have 2 days left. With our material items cut in half, we were set free once again at1:15after our last Sunday brunch. During our last exploration time, some visited the places that had become sacred to them, Continue reading
We Started the Fire!
We Started the Fire- with Biodigestion
At several points during our Island School journey, we experience many firsts. Only minutes ago, our biodigestion team went down in Bahamian history by producing and using the first biogas produced from an anaerobic digestion system. Just recently, we added a new system with 7% glycerol called “Hal-Drew,” named after a visiting master teacher and an Island School alum. Earlier this afternoon, we found this new addition to our digestion fleet to have several leaks in the gas tubing, disturbing the biogas production process. We quickly remedied this leaky situation by wrapping the holes in electrical tape. Our eyes lit up at the sight of the water level rising before we had even finished this process. Continue reading
What is The Island School?
As part of the Spring 2011 Human Ecology Course at The Island School, a creative group of students made this movie to help explain the journey students experience on Cape Eleuthera. Mario Sacca, TJ Thran, Lindsey Springs and Lizzie Ayoub describe the semester through a student lens as a way to share with world what a semester with The Island School entails. Don’t worry, they haven’t exposed everything so there are still plenty of surprises to experience for all future students on their 100 day journeys.
Small Feet – Human Ecology Measured
by Anne, Adam, Annie, and Nick
The Island School prides itself on being an environmentally conscious institution; yet how kind is the school to the earth? Yes, we make our own biodiesel and compost, have solar panels and a wind turbine, we even pump our sewage into manure for bananas, but what is our carbon footprint? Up until this point in time, the actual carbon footprint of the school had not been calculated and this human ecology group set out to do just that. Carbon outputs, as many of you know, pollute the atmosphere and play a large role in climate change. Though poorer nations like The Bahamas do not have the largest impact on the global carbon footprint, islands like Eleuthera are vulnerable to the effects of climate change. We felt it was our responsibility to understand our carbon impact on the world so that we could make steps towards living more within the school’s pillar of “sustainability.” Continue reading
Cacique Update June 4, 2011
by Caciques Brontë and Jack
Saturday was a day full of exciting events. The final research symposium was held on campus, transition classes were held, themed dinners and conch fest was celebrated.
The research symposium was a rewarding experience considering the fact that alumni, research specialists, and government officials traveled to hear about the research we conducted during the semester. We were excited to be high school students whose work and discoveries were not only valued by our teachers and The Island School, but would also become useful to the scientific community. Continue reading
Legs to Lights – The Power of Human Ecology
by Jon Vredenburg
The purpose of our project was to raise awareness about energy consumption. At The Island School, we have spent many community meetings talking about water conservation. Yet not as much concern is shared with electricity conservation. 80% of our power comes from our solar panels and wind turbine, which is great, but that means that 20 % of our electricity is still being generated at the diesel power plant in Rock Sound. Continue reading
Cacique Update May 3, 2011
by Caciques Aldis and Eliza
[slideshow]
Friday nights often see our community dressing in their best for dinner to celebrate the coming weekend. Yesterday was no exception, yet on June 3rd Dorm Mom and Dad decided to draw on our children’s extensive creativity. Each state or country chose a theme that they were drawn to: Michigander Lax Bros, Massachusetts Mariners, Jersey Shore “guidos,” Mainers came out of The Wild, Fairfield County Connecticut preps, North and South Carolina “hicks,” Texas cowboys, West coast hipsters, and Florida sweats. While we would love to describe the costumes in detail, we feel that the pictures speak for themselves. Please enjoy them… Continue reading
Remembering why…
As you all know, students are greeted with quite a demanding schedule upon arrival. Still, we stress the importance of finding time and space to reflect on their experience, to re-tell a story, re-imagine a reality and re-construct an unsustainable system. Well, believe it or not, the staff has an equally formidable schedule awaiting them. So, in all fairness, I feel inclined to do the same, to allow for a paradox of regression, a moment to step back. As of late, my mind and heart remains afloat over the question ‘why’- why is this place needed. Well folks, simply put, the answer lies in the need for reevaluating education.