Island School, Student Update

Student Update: The Saddle

The Saddle, a snorkeling spot near campus, is a popular destination for exploration time. Here’s a report from student Crawford Patton about his recent visits.

Crawford takes a photo of himself at The Saddle.
Crawford takes a photo of himself at The Saddle.

This week I was trying to stay focused on getting in the water every day during exploration for the hopes I might see something really cool. I figured if I spent enough time in one place I was bound to see something awesome. So I went to the saddle every day for about an hour. I was doing my normal round and just happened to look over my back shoulder and saw a large nurse shark cruising right next to me. I was ecstatic, but it was almost as if he could sense my energy and took off, but not before I could get a picture with him.

-Crawford Patton

Island School, Student Update

Student Update: The Barge

Students relaxing on the Cobia on the way out to The Barge.
Students relaxing on the Cobia on the way out to The Barge.

Last Sunday, for the first time since scuba rotations, K3 and K4 went on a fun dive! We took the Cobia out to a site called the barge. Half of the group sat on the roof, with the sun warming us almost to sleep. When we finally arrived at our dive site, called the Barge, we went through our buddy checks, and then my group took the plunge. With the Cobia rearing up and down next to us, we slowly kicked our way to the mooring line, gave a thumbs-down/descend symbol to our buddies, and sank beneath the waves. The first sight of the barge was awe-inspiring. It looked like someone had just dropped a giant grey rectangle in the middle of the ocean and left it there for the reef to claim. Throughout the entire dive, though, the coolest thing that I saw wasn’t on the boat, but under it. When Peter gestured to the crevice under the barge, I initially had no idea what he was pointing at. But as my eyes slowly adjusted, the shape of a triangle head sporting an open mouth filled with jagged teeth came into focus. The eel stayed in the shadows, but I couldn’t help slowly drifting away from it.

The descent to The Barge.
The descent to The Barge.

I spent the rest of the dive peering into portholes that led only to blackness, looking at lionfish discretely blending into the surrounding coral, and watching the countless colorful fish always surrounding these reefs darting in and around each other. When we finally ascended into the rough water above, I didn’t want to leave. But with much calmer weather on the ride back, it felt so good to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

-Maddie Nystrom

Island School

Meet your Caciques of the week!

16873780841_ec318183f9_z
Name: Gus
Where are you from?: Bloomington, IN
How did you find out about The Island School?: My brother went– SP12
Name one thing not many people know about you: I love ping pong
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: Things are in constant motion- you’re always doing something
What is your favorite IS meal: Rice & Tilapia
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: Myself in 60yrs
16688670519_9f19ca5f9b_z
Name: Colleen
Where are you from?: Concord, MA
How did you find out about The Island School?: My dad went to Teacher’s conference and then I went on an EP last year.
Name one thing not many people know about you: I love to cook
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: I didn’t know how challenging the workload would be!
What is your favorite IS meal: French toast, bacon & eggs!
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: Obama
16848925716_4229d773c0_z
Name: Hadley
Where are you from?: Bethesda, MD
How did you find out about The Island School?: I was looking for a semester program and found IS online
Name one thing not many people know about you: People call me “mom”
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: I didn’t know how much research we would have.
What is your favorite IS meal: Pizza
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: Marilyn Monroe
17214154961_de3f71a72c_z
Name: Brendan
Where are you from?: New Cannon, CT
How did you find out about The Island School?: My brother went– F13
Name one thing not many people know about you: I once threw a water balloon at a senator’s car when I was 10yrs old.
Name one thing you know about Island School that you didn’t know when you got here: That we are allowed to explore so much.
What is your favorite IS meal: Bagels
If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?: Jordan Spieth
Alumni

Congratulations Candice Springs Hipp (S’04)!

Island School Spring 2004 alumna Candice Springs got married earlier this month on May 2nd in South Carolina to her now husband Will Hipp. Candice wanted her favorite place, Eleuthera, to be represented at her wedding so she served Kalik, the beer of The Bahamas, and conch fritters at the reception!

Congratulations Candice and Will!

image1

Island School, Student Update

Student Update: Spontaneous Moments

Snorkeling in the deep blue.
Snorkeling in the deep blue.

Every Island School student looks forward to 4:15 during the school week. Until 6 you are free to do whatever you want. The typical Exploration Time during the school week is a quick stop at the Marina store to get whatever you have been craving during the day and then off to Sunset Beach. This past Exploration Time, as me and two of my friends were getting ready to go the Marina Store and Sunset; we were stopped by Peter and asked if we wanted to go out on the Mary Alice and snorkel. In that quick moment, we jumped to the offer and ran back up to girl’s dorm to get our snorkel gear and GoPros. We then ran to the faculty office to sign out and then quickly ran and jumped on the boat. Once we were all set and ready on the boat us three along with three other kids and three teachers took the Mary Alice out into the open ocean. After going fast for a little bit, we came to our location: the cage. We all jumped into the flat blue ocean and looked below us where an abandoned cage sat. Some people spotted an unidentifiable shark sitting on the bottom, but I was unable to see it. After spending some time free diving and looking from the surface at the cage, we all got back on the boat and drove out a little bit more. Once we were stopped again we all kept jumping off the boat. Once we had enough of jumping and spending time in the water, we drove back. This was by far one of the most fun explorations I have had this semester and I wouldn’t have gone if Peter didn’t stop us while we were on our way out to the Marina store.

-Sophie Moore

Cape Eleuthera Institute, CEI, Educational Programs, Events, Island School, News

Blackbeard, the Manatee, in Boathouse Cut!

IMG_1018 (2)

This morning we were visited by a large manatee in the Boathouse Cut! Educational Programs Lead Educator, Tiffany Gray, shared photos and information on the sighting with Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organization who informed us that our manatee friend is named Blackbeard who is originally known by our US colleagues from Tampa Bay. He has been in the Bahamas since 2013 where he has spent time in Long Is, Cat Is, north Eleuthera (with another manatee “Gina”). From there he headed to Nassau in December 2014 and remained until late April when he was seen back in Spanish Wells with Gina.

Manatees are not common to The Bahamas due to the lack of fresh water so this sighting is very exciting! We hope Blackbeard sticks around for at least a few more days!

IMG_1033 (2)

Island School, Staff Spotlight

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: EMMA ALEXANDER

Name: Emma Alexander
Histories Teacher, Dean of Students

Where are you from? Cambridge, MA

Where were you before this? Cape Town, South Africa

What brought you to Eleuthera? I was specifically drawn to IS’s Histories department, which draws heavily on the discipline of Anthropology. I saw a position for Histories teacher posted and was so excited! I thought this was a great way for me, with a background in Anthropology, to get back into the world of education and working with high schoolers.

What is your favorite dining hall meal? mac & cheese!

Name one thing that not many people know about you. I was on sesame street when I was 10 years old. I was in a library song and carried books on my head.

What is your favorite word? Umbuntu– Bantu term used in South Africa roughly translating to “human kindness”

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Writer for Lonely Planet

What are your top three movies of all time? “Dog Town & Z Boys”; “Stealing Beauty” & “Dave Chapelle’s Block Party”

What songs and/or bands have you been listening to lately? D’angelo’s new album Black Messiah; Paul Simon’s Graceland and everything by The Roots!