Yesterday was not a typical Monday. After a morning of Literature and Histories class we headed to Deep Creek Middle School for our 
community outreach. Like always, it was great to work with our DCMS buddies on achieving something that will actually make a difference in South Eleuthera. Unfortunately, it was the last time we would see them for three whole weeks due to kayak and down island trips. Because we’ve only had community outreach four or five times one might think that saying goodbye to each other for three weeks wouldn’t be hard; it was. Another memory I have from yesterday that really showed me how much of a bond we have built with our buddies is when Emily and I gave our buddy Demetria cake and cards for her birthday. Her face lit up and I’ve never seen a smile that wide and bright in my life. She threw her arms around us and thanked us, we hugged her back and thanked her for being such a great and positive buddy. Continue reading
Game, Set, Patch!
By: Korinna Garfield, Sam Hastings, Atalanta von der Schulenburg, Maggie Bland, & Nathaniel Millard
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Hello! We are team Patch! On this research project we are looking at the spatial and temporal abundance of fish species in Eleuthera, here in the Bahamas. Patch reefs are transitional juvenile habitats for fish after their early life in mangroves. One of the main reasons we are conducting this research, is to see if it is necessary that an MPA be established near Cape Eleuthera, based upon the fish population and habitat trends in the area. We hypothesize that patch reefs will have a higher fish biomass the closer they are to mangroves, there will be an increase in lionfish (an invasive species), and Continue reading
Admissions Reception in Houston Tonight!
Sea Turtle Team
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Sea turtles are on the endangered species Red List. The most common species of turtle found in the Bahamas is the green turtle, which we are studying. Previous studies in the Bahamas have included nutrition, grazing, growth rates, and abundance, but none have been conducted on Eleuthera. Our study is currently being conducted just north of Rock Sound in Half Sound, on the Atlantic side of the island. The purpose of our study is to investigate the abundance, size, and distribution of green sea turtles in Half Sound and our hypothesis is that areas with an abundance of sea grass will have dense turtle populations. We have two main methods that we’ve used so far in order to catch these turtles. The first is by boat, in which we take a small skiff to Half Sound. We ride Continue reading
Admissions Reception in Austin Tonight!
Student Update October 8, 2012
After yet another exciting weekend I find myself writing to you all on the dining hall deck. This weekend was exciting for a variety of reasons. On Saturday, we had morning classes and then midterm meeting after lunch. For a period of 5 hours students were streaming in and out of the dining hall area checking in with each teacher for 15 minutes each. The meetings were a great chance to individually talk to your teachers about not only how you’re doing in terms of grades in their class, but what they feel are your strengths, as well as what they think you need to work on. Students also used the feedback they received from their teachers to write a reflective midterm report letters to their parents; one I’m sure most of you will be receiving soon. After the very last letter was “Drop-boxed” onto the server, we could begin our Saturday night festivities! Our weekly Cacique (Harrison, Connor, Chris, Remington, and Cate) planned an optional night snorkel off of boy’s dorm beach with a bonfire too. Continue reading
Admissions Reception in Dallas Tonight!
Learning About The Island School Cisterns in Math Class
By Cate Ellison
In our math classes this past week, we have been learning about the cisterns around campus that store our water. We learned about the five cisterns underneath buildings that we are currently using as well as a cistern underneath a building under construction on campus that will shortly be put into use. Water is a resource that we use everyday at The Island School, and it is really interesting to learn how the cisterns work, and how our individual water use affects the entire water supply.
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At first, the idea of measuring our useable water based on the amount of rain, capacity of cisterns, and surface areas of roofs was a whole new concept to me, something that I had never thought of before. In our math classes, we talked about how daily rainfall multiplied by the surface area of the roofs that drain into the cisterns is the total volume of the cistern, but not the total useable water in the cisterns because we aren’t actually able to use all of the water in a cistern. Continue reading
Student Update October 5, 2012
It’s looking like another breezy and beautiful day here in Eleuthera. The vibe on campus is refreshing and energetic after a morning run-swim. There’s something inspiring about exercising as the sun rises. Every time I took a breath while swimming this morning, my head was greeted by a gradual glowing sun. We started the run-swim in the gray-blue dark sky, and by time we got out of our final cut, the sun was at a pleasant height, casting it’s bright glow across the ocean.
As you all have probably learned, research takes up the entire afternoon on Thursdays. Because we have so much time with our research groups, Thursdays are almost always field days. However instead of entirely field work, some of yesterday’s class was spent preparing for our Project Introduction Presentations. Today, every research group is presenting their projects to their fellow students, faculty, and some scientists at CEI. It’s a chance to inform everyone of what we have been spending so much time and effort on. After much preparation today is this big day, and I cannot wait to learn about every ones projects. Continue reading
GAP Program Update #4
By Philip Beardsley
After a week of exploring, camping, and simply being at one with nature, we are finally back to civilization – or so it seems. Kayak trip…what an experience.
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On Monday of last week, 5 members of the Island School community embarked on a journey that will never be forgotten. After much anticipation, preparation, and thought, it was finally time to leave. Not a single ripple on the water or cloud in the sky – what better conditions could we have asked for? After a long day of kayaking, sunshine, and positive vibes, we finally reached our first camping spot for the trip, Plum Creek. It was Continue reading