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Rays and Lightning by Belle Buroker

At home, thunder and lightning doesn’t bother me. In fact, I kind of like it. It’s cool to watch and experience from the safety of my home or another solid building. Here at The Island School you never know where you’re going to be when a thunderstorm hits. You could be in the dorms, the dining hall, out in the field, or out on kayak.. Watching from the dining hall or the dorms can be fun. Watching storms while on kayak trips or out in the field is less fun but much more of an adventure.Belle2

This past Monday I was out in the field catching and tagging rays with my research team. Seas were choppy as we headed out on the boat to our research site and in the distance you could see the storm clouds rolling in. Eventually I was dropped off to investigate a bit of sediment that was kicked up. It was hard to tell whether or not it was a ray simply because it was so big. Pretty soon I figured it out though. It was a huge ray, the biggest we have caught yet. We used both a barrier net and black hand nets but this ray could barely fit. As we caught the ray and secured its barb we felt rain begin to sprinkle. By the time we started taking measurements of the ray it was pouring and Nick, an Island School teacher, and Owen, our research advisor, were counting the seconds between thunder and lightning. More than 30 seconds. We were in the clear just then but kept counting.Belle4

I had to run to the boat to get a notebook and sprinted the whole way. The water kept getting deeper and by the time I reached the boat it was up to my waist. I grabbed the notebook and started back, I have never been more scared in my entire life. We continued counting the lightning and the gaps were shorter and shorter. Finally we released the ray and everyone started sprinting back to the boat. We all reached it safely. It was a huge relief but adrenaline was still pumping through us. The five students all sat in the front of the boat facing each other. We talked and laughed and relived the moment that had just past. I realized the experience had brought us closer as a research group and taught us the power of mother nature.

For more photos of stingray and lightning adventures, follow our research team’s activities on the Island School Flickr page!

AMX, Daily Update, Island School, Uncategorized

Goggles or Sneakers? It’s Track Time by Christian McIntosh

When people think of Island School they usually think of the sustainability, kayak trips and maybe even lightning position, but rarely do we think of the run and swim tracks that accompany our daily routine.

The six o’clock wake up time may be brutal but once we are out the door the energy of the morning sun soon energizes the faces around morning circle. However, the real fun starts after circle when we go off into our chosen tracks to either run or swim.Christian1

Run starts off with a little warm up around the horseshoe: generally a light jog dotted with stretches for the running muscles. Then we often head off of campus for the two miles to High Rock across the Cape. The path is a snake of concrete road which has even more potholes than the average Bahamian road. The run can seem endless with a false sense of hope, encountering decoy turn-offs to High Rock around every corner. Almost as soon as we complete the journey there, we’ll then turn around for the two mile return trip back to campus where the flagpole finish line greets us with a familiar feeling of satisfaction.

Similar to run track, swim track starts off with some stretching before their early morning plunge into the ocean. Now that it’s the third week of tracks, our classmates are now up to a mile-long, “Pole Swim” from Boathouse Cut to the Marina pole, usually they are given twenty minutes to swim there and 20 minutes to swim back. Much of the time swimmers encounter a current that can either make you feel like Michael Phelps or like you are actually swimming backwards, depending on the tide.

Both tracks show great energy and focus for their respective goals–to run thirteen miles for run track or swim four miles for swim track. What may have seemed like an impossible task in the beginning is slowly becoming possible with hard work and dedication, just two of the many qualities The Island School will instill in each student over the course of the semester.

Alumni Spotlight, Staff Spotlight

Abby Gordon S’14 Returns as a Communications Intern

Looking back on my time as an Island School student, the question everyone asked was “will it be hard to leave this place and go back home?”  Although I met some of the most interesting people, grew immensely as an individual and became part of such a powerful community, I wasn’t sad to leave. I never understood why that was until I came back two years later.

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I’ve learned that once you’ve been part of the Island School in one capacity or another, it never leaves you. The elements of this place have a subtle way of weaving into your life in everything you do. Inside I knew I’d always be back and two years later I am back as part of my gap year!

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For the first four months of my gap year (August-December) I am working at the Island School as a communications intern.  Working along with the communications team, I take photos of students and the various CEI research teams, as well as make videos to promote the goals of the School. I’m gaining incredible experience from this position and it’s fantastic being part of this community once again. Everyday I’m energized by the work I do and the people I’m around, which is sometimes a rare thing to find in a job.

Following my departure from the Island School in December, I am heading to Kauai, Hawaii for two weeks to travel and pursue photography opportunities. I am hoping the two weeks can be extended depending on what opportunities emerge.

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In early February I travel to Oxford, England to begin my internship with the Children’s Radio Foundation, which promotes radio programming by and for youth in many different African countries.  I will spend 3 months with the Foundation and I will be photographing local projects and working as a member of their communications team.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset Once summer comes, I’ll be doing some solo backpacking around the UK for a few weeks before heading to Western Europe to backpack various countries from Norway to Greece. Come fall 2016 my adventures will head to the United States where I will be attending Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Undecided on my major, I’m keeping it broad and looking into anthropology, photography and journalism.

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Needing a break from traditional schooling, I am fortunate to have time to work on my own growth within the greater world. I’m taking a gap year because I believe in the power of travel, the value of interacting with humans outside of one’s bubble, and the importance of supporting a community that is making the world better.  I know that for myself to grow as a person, I need to delve deeper into new places and experiences. Every day is a happy adventure and I truly have found my passion back here!

Island School, Student Update

3-day Kayak by Jack Megrue

If you were at boat house cut on August 31st at around noon, you would have seen thirteen eager students holding paddles up towards the sky – the sign that we were all ready to depart on our three day kayak trip.20931316518_8d47c485ab_k

When we first set off, we were traveling at a speedy pace, with Helen Roosevelt leading the diamond shaped pod, Justin Box and Katie Koch acting as the sides and I was holding up the rear. Eventually, Catherine Klem and Ian Overton, our leaders for the three days, gave us the signal that we would stop for lunch. When we pulled up for lunch near the lemon shark pen that was about three miles down the coast from the Island School, everyone was tired, but we all helped set up the lunch tarp and lay out our food. Then we took our PB&Js into the clear blue ocean that was the perfect temperature for lunch in the water.

We soon set off again and after passing two or three mangrove-ridden islands, we arrived at our campsite. We all got out of our kayaks and handed out jobs. With speed and elegance, we brought the kayaks up on the shore, unloaded the group gear, and flipped the kayaks for safe keeping through the night. After all of the group gear, food, and kayaks were taken care of, we then moved on to setting our hammocks that we would sleep in for the night.
Later, we all helped gather firewood for our fire that would be used for cooking our meal of rice, beans, and vegetables. As a treat, we were surprised with marshmallows that we roasted over the fire and cooked to a golden brown.

That night, everyone brushed their teeth and attached their dry bags to trees in case a sudden Bahamian storm rolled in. Then we all zipped up our bug nets to our hammocks under the light of the full moon, and we fell asleep.

On day two of our kayak trip, we headed out to the blue hole. Once we finished the two and a half mile trip down the coast, we pulled into a little bay and attached our kayaks to the nearby mangroves. Then, we all helped in setting up lunch of tortillas, peanut butter, and jelly were all laid out on the tarp and we all feasted awaiting the upcoming blue hole snorkel.jack's picture
We put on our snorkeling gear and out to the blue hole. We were all in pairs of twos (the buddy system) and swimming eagerly to the site. When I approached, I saw the white sand with some seaweed on the bottom, Cam Reisinger and Owen Ryerson were on either side of me, and then I saw the blue hole. Suddenly the sand dropped off into a black abyss. The blue hole was covered in coral and filled with fish of all different shapes and colors. We dove down and looked around to see more coral that had fish nibbling on the ends of it. Everyone was stunned at the amazing blue hole and all of the life that was around it.

After we snorkeled in and around the blue hole for twenty or thirty minutes, we went back to our boats and kayaked back to our campsite.

The next and last day of our trip, everyone was sad to be packing up their hammocks because, even though it was only two nights, everyone had an amazing time and we were all sad that we had to leave. After we had breakfast and packed the kayaks, we were on our way. We paddled past the shark pen to a new lunch spot, about half way between our previous campsite and the Island School. We all ate the PB&Js as we had the previous two lunches, and we played a game in the little bay where our boats were beached. After thirty minutes or so, we left for The Island School.21036547186_6f904dee04_k

Once we arrived, we were all tired and a bit sad that we were at the end of such and incredible trip. We put our boats away and gave everyone high fives for having finished and for such an incredible trip. Now, we are all excited about going on our eight-day trip with new people and creating new memories.

Alumni

Maxeys and Peter Scholle (S’07) in San Diego

20150823_115121Chris and Pam Maxey were out in San Diego reuniting with friends as Chris celebrated his 30 year reunion since graduation from Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL (BUDS) training with class 134. Peter Scholle, Island School Spring 2007 alumnus, recently graduated from Harvard and was selected out of an incredibly competitive process to gain a place in BUDS training.  Peter, with shaved head starts with BUD/S class 315, next week.  We send him strength as he takes on this challenge!

 

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Island School Teacher Conference 2015

Would your teachers at home thrive at The Island School? We tested the idea again for the 18th time this summer when a group of 24 teachers came together at Cape Eleuthera to live the life of an Island School student. It was a week of extremes – first scuba dive, jumping off of high rock, run-swims, as well as practicing and discussing experiential education and project-based learning techniques. 

“I faced some fears, which I ask students to do all the time. I networked almost around the clock, gleaning information from Island School colleagues. I stayed healthy in mind body, and spirit. I discussed pedagogy with a variety of teachers from different backgrounds” said Holly Houston, a veteran art teacher from Yarmouth Maine.
“The first morning of our conference we met in bathing su
its and snorkeled a shipwreck. I saw starfish, lobster, a stingray, got some morning exercise, and learned about the ecology of the area- even before introducing myself to the group” said a 4th year teacher at Berkshire School, who attended with a colleague. 
There were 3 school systems that sent 2 teachers: The Hill Sc
hool in Pottstown, PA, Trinity College School in Ontario, Canada, Father Ryan School in Nashville, TN, and 3 teachers from the wider Grand Rapids public schools. Many of them came as a result of Island School parents promoting the opportunity. 
Just like for every group of visitors, our Cape Eleuthera Institute researchers, staff, administrators, and Island School leadership got involved in all kinds of ways. In particular, participants lauded the

contributions of Island School alumni back on campus sharing their expertise. Stan Burnside, Fall ’07 provided comic relief in between natural history, George Giannos, Fall ’10 played the role of Dad, Alexio Brown, Fall ’07 led the exploration of inland ponds, Mackey Violich, Spring ’06 showed off her deep ocean bathynomis research, and Taylor Hoffman also Spring ’06, as Director of Admissions, helped teachers see the student perspective.  

Cape Eleuthera Institute, Island School, News, Uncategorized

Anderson Cabot Family Leadership Gift takes Sharing Solutions Campaign to the Crest of the Wave

Ed Anderson and Linda Cabot with Chris Maxey at the Anderson Cabot Hall dedication ceremony.
Ed Anderson and Linda Cabot with Chris Maxey at the Anderson Cabot Hall dedication ceremony.

Ed Anderson and Linda Cabot step up to the top of our giving pyramid with a $2 MM total pledge. In addition to helping us build the new Anderson Cabot Graduate Hall, the new leadership pledge allows us to focus on our campaign promise to Share Solutions. The commitment will help us leverage over $1 MM toward our endowment and $350 k toward developing a communications journey that will enable the school to share best practices with a wider community. In addition, funds have been allotted to collaborate with From the Bow Seat and help build awareness around the serious global challenge of plastic pollution in our oceans. Lastly, there is an effort to develop a film that can help call attention to the successful model and power of experiential and collaborative learning. In the gift letter Linda sums up their desired outcomes,

“Ed and I believe in the Island School mission and the transformational power of experiential learning. At the Island School students tackle real world sustainability issues, conduct independent research, engage in collaborative learning and challenge their personal best. These powerful experiences develop meaningful skills that will help students thrive in the real world and protect our natural environment. This is why we are proud to make a gift that will help sustain the curriculum and enable the school to inspire and share best practices with learning communities around the globe. We hope our actions inspire others to give generously as we believe that community efforts yield the largest and most positive effects”.

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Linda Cabot cuts the ribbon and welcomes everyone to Anderson Cabot Hall.

Ed and Linda’s leadership comes at a pivotal moment in our history as we look down the last year of our five-year campaign. With their gift we are approaching $17 MM and feel confident to be able to announce now that our new campaign goal is $20 MM. Mary Kate Barnes, Island School parent, Board Vice Chairman and Chair of our campaign shares, “It is amazing to witness a young school embark on a bold first campaign effort with the potential to stride so far past goal. Much of this effort is designed to build an endowment and strategic sustainable fiscal plan that looks out generations. I am also proud of the young development team, Mary Assini Sp 00 and Cameron Powel Fall ’04, both alumni living the mission of The Island School — Leadership Effecting Change.” The Cape Eleuthera Foundation Board thanks Ed and Linda for believing in us and helping The Island School strive towards a new level of sharing.

Both Ed and Linda are proud to say that their daughters Georgianna Sp ’11 and Noelle Sp ’13 both graduated as Class Caciques and to this day lean back on The Island School experience as the most transformative time on their journey through school.

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Summer Term: See You All Soon!

Howdy everyone,

Wyatt playing with a new friend Scarlet lighting up the night As we near parents weekend, life at The Island School continues to be jam-packed. This morning, students ran for 40 minutes as they prepared for the monster run swim- only four days away! Students gave it their all, and everyone finished the run with cheers as they slapped the flag pole. The students have been hard at work, whether it means working on the farm to make compost, going on scuba dives to observe ecosystems or conducting interviews at Spanish Wells.

The final Sustainable System class enjoyed a short film on Cuba’s path to recovery after losing its energy sources in the 1990′s. After gaining some insightful knowledge from the documentary, the class walked over to the Floating Gazebo to discuss what would happen if the United States faced a similar energy-loss crisis. The discussion was both intriguing and thought provoking, allowing the students to tap into ideas they never thought they’d have. Afterwards, the class visited the school farm and even fed the pigs with one of the Dining Hall buckets! While munching on delicious coco-plums and tamarinds, the students and teachers began another amazing conversation about compost and its importance, both on campus and to the world.

The Marine Ecology class spent the morning in class. Students laughed as they pretended to be their assigned fish and went “speed dating” to meet other fish and marine life. They spent the rest of the morning learning about invertebrates. After lunch, they put their newfound knowledge to the test underwater. As they approached the diving site [Tunnel Rock], the excitement rose. Stepping into the ocean, diving pairs and trios began studying their respective coral reefs. Students examined their reef for information about invertebrates and the impact these creatures have in their habitat. The diversity of the reefs showed the students the importance of a balanced ecosystem.

As the last days of The Island School approach, students are filled with a bittersweet feeling of leaving their second home. With tomorrow being the last day of academics, students are cherishing what little time they have left. They wait anxiously for the return of their Tourism and Development classmates and teachers to return, making our campus full again. Additionally, everyone on campus cannot wait to see the parents! Emotions are running high as the summer term days come to an end.

See you all soon!

Your caciques,

Christine and Grace Halvey