David Miller began our Cacique meeting this morning by telling us he thought this was going to be the most important day of the semester, but he didn’t know why and neither did we. However, we soon realized that our time here has been flying. It is time to stop stressing out about homework and start appreciating every moment we have left. Throughout the day we held a positive attitude and tried to encourage others to do the same. For example, during community outreach it can be difficult to maintain enthusiasm during the long hours in the hot sun. Yesterday, however, we made an effort to remain upbeat and energetic throughout the afternoon. The best part of the day was Continue reading →
Since we were elected to be Caciques on a Sunday, our schedules were very unstructured. This meant we had the freedom to spend the day however we wished. We each decided to do various activities in different locations. Writing a blog about two different people’s experiences would require two different blogs so we decided to blend the stories into one. We came up with a mixture of our two names to create one person and one story. Here is how Bronteejay’s day played out.
I, Bronteejay, arose from my slumber at 8:30am and 8:40am. Half of me wished I had slept longer while the other half was eager to go free-diving. Funny how that works. Being as sleepy as I was, I decided to do homework rather than explore. But, coincidently, being as excited as I was, I decided to go free-diving as well. Half of me wished I was there, while the other half was. Continue reading →
Our first week in patch reef research was a new experience for almost all of us. The first class consisted of an introduction to the research we will be conducting this semester. By the second class, we went to Forth Hole on our bikes for our first reef exploration. We were able to use our newly gained knowledge to identify fish species living on the reefs and practice marking the abundance of different fish species. Even though the depth was only four feet, we saw fish species ranging from a Great barracuda to small damsel fish. Even though we were all happy to have explored our first coral reef, we were freezing and ready to get out and lie in the sun while reflecting on our sightings. We are eager to improve our surveying abilities through this research course.
We began the day with a tiring 8 mile run to Deals Point, the longest distance run-track has accomplished so far. We then headed out for a three-hour research block during which time some our community got stuck in Rocksound due to a faulty van. They had the privilege of spending the entire day in Rocksound, visiting the market and interviewing locals for settlement day. We reunited with the rest of our community for dinner circle before beginning our Saturday night festivities. We started out the night by biking to the beach and watching the sunset as a community. Planning our bonfire and dance party, we eagerly biked back to school. After our long run and day in the field, we changed our mind and watched Blue Crush, a better suited activity after such a long day. The night ended with brownies, providing for a great finish to such an exhausting day.
How does the Aquaponics Research Crew know what’s going on in their tanks full of Tilapia? They conduct a fish sampling. Watch as the Spring 11 research group demonstrates the techniques and methods used to collect data about our Tilapia fish populations.
As we entered the water at current cut, a beautiful red sun peeked over the horizon in the distance. The sun watched us, rising higher in the sky as we swam with the current twice, and against the current once. The sun probably thought we were crazy; it was 6:45 am and we were not only swimming, but practically swimming in place because of the powerful water rushing against us. As we struggled, we looked across to see someone swimming with no problem at all, passing us all with ease. Of course, it was Chris Maxey. Continue reading →
Today was a Wednesday; everyone enjoyed their break from run/swim track and their sleep-in until eight. After breakfast both caciques went to Human Ecology class, where we saw a film that expressed the lives and struggles of an Eleutheran farmer. After we were debriefed and assigned certain areas to evaluate and investigate, we headed to meet Farmer Symonette and his livestock and plants. Our first stop was to the goatherds, many of which had just been born a few weeks prior. As we gathered in the goat house we asked questions pertaining to everyday life on the farm and the struggles Symonette faces with the soil, rainfall and financial hardships. Continue reading →
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman
Chris Maxey and US Ambassador to The Bahamas, Nicole Avant
On March 25th and 26th, 70 individuals gathered at The Island School to celebrate students and schools that have been going to work to solve real-world problems, proving that authentic learning can happen outside of a traditional classroom curriculum. Delegations representing twelve schools and independent organizations presented on their work ranging from oyster aquaculture in New York Harbor to building a solar house. Representatives participated in an open house-style expo and formally presented to an audience that included Spring 2011 Island School students. The conference was fortunate to host United States Ambassador to The Bahamas Nicole Avant on Friday afternoon, where she spoke about the power of young people during the keynote address.
On Saturday a group of panelists, facilitated by Middlebury professor Dr. Jon Isham, shared insights on their work, challenges they have faced, and advice on how to network. Panelists included Murray Fisher, founder of New York Harbor School; Betsy Vogel-Boze, president of College of The Bahamas; Liz Robinson, director of the Center for Creativity and Innovation at Middlebury; Nikita Shiel-Rolle, founder of Young Bahamian Marine Scientists program, and several other distinguished conference guests. Conference guests agreed: the most inspiring parts of the conference were the presentations by students ranging in age from 15 to 25 sharing the work they have done. “All the presentations were outstanding and I was humbled and inspired by all that I witnessed,” said Michael Denning, a college counselor from Noble and Greenough School who attended the conference. Continue reading →
By the time exploration time rolled around I was exhausted. After research class, although it was interesting, I was pooped (pun intended… I’m in the biodigestion research group). It was very tempting to crawl into my top bunk, and even though it would have been a hike I could have slept for almost 2 hours and there was nothing more I wanted to do. I entered our dorm and along with the usual music being blasted, there were of course a few girls lounging and resting but also a group preparing for some kind of expedition. I was invited along to explore the Inner Loop; just simply explore maybe get lost or find something new. Our only intention was to leave campus and take advantage of this free time. The duty faculty were impressed that we weren’t just heading to the Marina store. As we started off towards the tamarind tree on our bikes, Continue reading →
