http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YO_XKJWDp8
Fritter Sleeping Places
Mail day. It can strike any day of the week, any week, at any time. Delivery is arbitrary and not at all related to the date it was sent. The package your mom sent filled with the latest issues of TeenBop and Vogue will most definitely get here faster than the one with the retainer, underwater camera, and headlamp you left at home. Students and staff alike anxiously await the day that letters and boxes Continue reading
Cacique Update October 20, 2010
“The Fruits of our Labors”
by Caciques Augie and Aly
[slideshow]
Today was Legacy Day. It is one day of the semester where we as young leaders leave our mark on campus. It involves hard labor, sweat and teamwork, fueled by the internal flame of love of our community that burns in all of our souls. We all worked together to plant trees, build trellises, thatched walls, garden beds, and a better community. Continue reading
Cacique Update October 19, 2010
“Hitting Halfway”
by Caciques Clay Bales and Hunter Foote
Today was a big mile marker for the community. We hit day 50 of 100. For those of us on our 8-day academic rotation, it felt wrong celebrating with only half of our Island School community. The 23 of us here are missing our other halves on kayak and Down Island trips.
As caciques, we wanted to make hitting 50 a special day. At the same time that we feel we’ve been here forever because of the friendships we’ve made, it feels like we haven’t been here for long at all. At dinner circle, we had the community go around and say one word that describes their past 50 days here: change, growth, gnarly, adventure, and too short, were all words that came up. We then had the community go back around and share one word that describes their anticipation for the upcoming 50 days. We heard words like: possibilities, endurance, half marathon, solo, Down Island, and kayak. Continue reading
My Own Astonishment
When I am reading for enjoyment, not for study, I have precarious and inefficient shorthand for my experience as a reader. I draw smiley faces next to things that make me smile. I underline things that I think my future self will want to go back and find. I draw stars next to other things, though I have yet to figure out just why I do this; stars are pure impulse. I draw stars out of whimsy. I am just imagining how shocked my students would be if they only knew the woman responsible for allocating their annotation grades, marked her own texts like this. As I rummage through pages of amateurish annotation, looking for inspiration, I come upon this line, glad that I underlined for my future self, me now, to stumble back upon:
“You were made and set here to give voice to this, your own astonishment,” –Annie Dillard
And I begin to think about my own astonishment and I begin to think that this might be an incredible way to explain what it is like to teach and live here. And I begin to think about recent moments where I found myself completely immersed in awe, big eyed, and astounded…
As a teacher at The Island School, I was made and set here to give voice to this: Continue reading
Formal Dinner Photos October 16, 2010
[slideshow]
Bein’ Green
Yesterday The Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) and The Ministry of Tourism organized a ceremony to recognize Deep Creek Middle School’s achievement of Green Flag certification. Green Flag Certification is an international recognition, which is awarded to eco-friendly schools committed to environmental education and performance.
During the ceremony, Hyacinth Winder Pratt, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, congratulated the students for being a game changer as the first school in The Bahamas and the region to receive such an honor. She also recognized their commitment as an important contribution to preserving The Bahamas’ number one draw for tourism, the beautiful beaches, clean water, and environment. She went on to encourage the students to promise that they would get their parents, neighbors, and friends involved with promoting sustainability.
Also in attendance for the ceremony was Director of Sustainable Tourism, Earlston McPhee. “It is a great milestone that you’ve achieved. A small school of this size is setting the pace for the rest of the English speaking Caribbean,” said McPhee.
The DCMS Eco-Club led the school on its journey to receive the Green Flag with pilot projects like the creation of a recycling center where students recycled Capri Sun pouches, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans. The Eco-club also imposed a fine of 50 cent to those students who use styrofoam containers in an effort to eliminate their use and installed fan and light timers to reduce electricity consumption. Continue reading
Cacique Update October 18, 2010
“A Smaller Community”
by Caciques Ellen Doughty & Jackson Rafter
Our morning began with a regrettable goodbye to half of our loved community as K1 and K2 bravely departed on either their Kayak or Down Island Trips. We wished them safe journeys and anticipate their return. On the other hand, we know that the events ahead of us will bring new relationships and experiences for everyone, in addition to wonderful stories when we our entire community is reunited. We joined together under the moon at morning circle and those of us who are staying on campus for our academic week began a new rotation of chores, before morning exercise as we waved goodbye to our friends. Throughout the day, the small group of 24 really focused on how a temporary smaller community can impact Continue reading
Cacique Update-October 17, 2010
“Halfway, and We’re Off”
October 17, 2010
Caciques Will Overman and Catherine Pirie
Today, Monday October 18th, 2010 marks the halfway point of our Island School journey. Many different emotions are flying all over campus right now. Some are excited to have made it this far, others sad because it is coming that much closer to the end. But I believe that all of us are stoked for the next three weeks… KAYAK ROTATIONS AND DOWN ISLAND TRIPS!
Just a few minutes ago half of the student body left campus to either go kayaking for eight days or go explore Eleuthera by car. Continue reading
Human Ecology Journal
By Lea L.
Ever since I was little, grocery shopping has been one of my favorite activities. Once a week, for just a few hours my dad and I would search the shelves at Boston’s finest supermarkets to find the best deals on pasta and chips, the ripest fruits and vegetables, the easiest junk food to hide from my mom, and of course the best flavors of ice cream. Grocery shopping didn’t just mean spending quality time with my dad, it also meant that I had the power to decide what my family ate that week. Naturally, I only picked out the most nutritious food Stop n’ Shop had to offer including Kraft Mac n’ Cheese, Gushers, Trix Yogurt, Pillsbury Cookie Dough, Sunbelt Granola Bars, Captain Crunch, and a personal favorite Hostess Ring-Dings.
Now as I sat on the floor of the Presentation Room watching Food Inc. I realized where my delicious and somewhat nutritious food was really coming from. Images of filthy chicken coops, cruel slaughterhouses, and giant fields of genetically modified seeds flashed Continue reading