Tim Kelly, Art and History Teacher from 1999-2000, the early years of Island School’s history, recently celebrated the arrival of his son Kiyan Delphous Kelly. Kiyan was born on December 10, 2012 at a healthy 9 pounds, 0 ounces. Both Kiyan and Tim’s wife Lelah are doing well and resting at their home in San Francisco. Congratulations!
The Island School also visited The Hill School this week to present to prospective students. A number of interested students gathered together with Teacher’s Conference alum, Patrick Hagarman, IS alumni Nate Smith-Ide (F’10), Ellen Eberhardt (F’11), and Director of Admissions, Sharon Jarboe to hear about the school. Always great to see some familiar faces!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlDUAptMzOo&feature=youtu.be
New York Sun Works, friend of both Chris Maxey and The Island School, is having a fundraiser for Williamsburg’s PS 84 Rooftop Hydroponic Greenhouse Classroom and they need our support! The fundraiser is at 6:30pm on December 15th at Saints Peter & Paul Theater -Williamsburg . To learn more about NY Sun Works, you can visit their website here. If you are interested in attending the fundraiser, you can buy your tickets here. We hope you are able to come out and support this great effort!
Director of Admissions, Sharon Jarboe visited Nightingale-Bamford School in New York City this week to present to prospective Island School applicants and also had the opportunity to meet up with some of our beloved alumnae: Caroline Schoen (S’11), Dana Colihan (S’12), and Sasha Whittle (F’10)! Great to see you girls!
During his visit to The Island School last weekend at the Research Symposium, the minister of the environment showed his support for our commitment to renewable energy and the environment!
The Human Ecology, Histories, and Literature Departments have collaborated on a series ongoing personal reflective essays called Eleutheros. Each week students are asked to write a reflective essay that demonstrates their understanding of the themes from their coursework and effectively links these themes to their unique thoughts and experiences. For each essay, students are asked to answer a new interdisciplinary prompt which inspires an integrated reflection on class learning. Our final essay asked students look at their academic semesters holistically and consider the value of their learning. In the coming week, look forward to some articulate examples of how our students have deeply and personally engage with this essential question. The prompt: So What? Why does what you have learned in your classes matter?
by Chris Foote
So what? It is hard to say when I’m still learning so much about this world and my self. When first considering what to write on for this assignment, I was at a loss for words. Then, as I looked out onto the pristine, blue ocean, the last line left Ashley’s mouth and lingered in the air: “When he left the beach the sea was going on” (Walcott, 325). This triggered something deep in my mind, and I thought of all I have learned here. First, I thought of the complexity of the life underneath the monotonous waves on the surface and its surfaces; then, of how that life is threatened by fisheries today. I thought of Tito’s dilemma, the Mexican Fisherman who we learned about from Brady, and understood how he was conflicted between his family and the sea; of Hector’s burial, the swift, the sea-almonds; of the empty Spanish bottle landing on Cotton Bay after a long journey at sea. And at that moment, I realized: I am invested in my education. Continue reading
This past semester, we’ve learned so much. From learning how to read Omeros to learning how to make bush tea from Joseph, we have gained so much knowledge. And yesterday, we had the task demonstrating all of that knowledge within 15 minutes. There was no set format for the demonstration, and so it was amazing to see the creative ways that other students came up with to show what they’v learned. Students made movies, monologues, tours of campus to show what they have learned this semester. One student’s that I especially liked read parts of her journal in certain parts of the semester to show the challenges she faced and how she overcame it. Many of these demonstrations were also emotional, especially because they marked the end of our semester. But I, for the most part, have managed to save the tears for the last day. For my Demonstration of Learning, I took my advisory up to the second floor deck of the faculty offices to reminisce about how far we had come. That same deck was where our advisory first came together in our initial “who am I?” presentations. Now, after three months, it was interesting to see how much we’ve changed, developed, and bonded together.
My time here has been a life-changing experience, Continue reading
Last week, students were asked to undertake another in a series of epic challenges at The Island School. The Literature Department assigned students to write a story of their Island School experience through the form of the traditional Heroes Journey. Even more difficult, they were made to do it in the very specific stanza and rhyme form in which Derek Walcott’s Omeros was written (the primary text for their course). In the truly triumphant tradition of our students here, they persevered and were able to articulate beautifully written poetic expressions of the knowledge that is gained through the journey.
Enjoy this example written by James Boyce, describing the epic experience of free-diving with Maxey as his epic guide:
Free diving through Cathedral
The conch horn blows as a calling to free diving.
The sun is just emerging from the blue ocean.
I don’t want to wake up and have trouble finding
the motivation to move. I feel a notion.
The thought that my time here is limited comes to
me and I decide to put my day to motion Continue reading