Congratulations to the Spring 2007 class, which recently hit the 60% participation mark for CONCHtribution.  In meeting that milestone, the donors from the S07 class will all receive FREE Island School alumni t-shirts.  The 60% participation level also makes Spring 07 the first class to receive a $1,000 boost toward their total CONCHtribution from the Head Family Giving Challenge.  With almost 64% participation, Spring 07 is well on its way to hitting the second importance milestone of 75% participation, at which a class receives an extra $5,000 boost.

There are 11 days left in CONCHtribution, which means there is still plenty of time to make your gift.  The easiest way to give is online here.  Check out the participation levels below and see where you class stands! Continue reading →

Click the video above to see bloopers from our annual fund video

With three weeks left in CONCHtribution, the competition continues to escalate.  Class participations are climbing higher, and many classes are within reach of the 60% participation mark.  Don’t forget that donors from classes who reach that mark will not only receive a FREE Island School alumni t-shirt, but will also get a $1,000 bonus from the Head Giving Challenge.  And those ambitious classes that reach 75% participation levels, will receive $5,000 toward their final CONCHtribution!

There is still plenty of time to give online, and don’t forget that a donation of any amount gets your class one step closer to a plaque on the golden conch!

I wrote this piece and read it to the F10 students at their Island School graduation this last Tuesday December 7th. I post this so that they may remember my message and be reminded to take this incredible opportunity and use it to give back to give back to the world.

If I could choose a single message to leave you with today it is this: You are blessed.

YOU.

You were given this glorious opportunity. A sea swift appeared one day in your life, a messenger beckoning you here. The stars aligned, the winds changed course.  One day this chance flew your way. Perhaps it was a friend recently returned from Island School, perhaps it was your dad, last winter, sitting by the fire, telling you about this school you should look into. Perhaps as the sea swift came into view you saw the magnitude of its shadow and you were scared. You were scared to go away, scared for something new, scared to be left alone for 48 hours. Alone, just you, alone. But you came anyway. Or, perhaps you wrestled and wrangled and called the swift into your life: “Come here! Right now! I am ready!” Perhaps The Island School was just your kind of adventure. And you came, because of course you would come to a place like this.

No matter how you arrived here: frightened and trembling or beaming with confidence and passion, you came. 

And you are so lucky that you did.

This place is a blessing.

Do not forget that you are blessed. YOU.  Continue reading →

As The Fall 2010 semester comes to a close, we are reminded about the pressures our students face on returning from Island School. The new documentary “Race to Nowhere” describes the overwhelming focus on standardized testing and measuring achievement in ways that don’t help students grow. The March 25-26th 2011 Education Conference on Eleuthera is celebrating the achievements of teachers and students at schools, focusing on the goal of growing future leaders.