Dana is a true example of a strong and hardworking young woman! Her readiness to try so many new things is inspiring. Whether she is reaching deeper and deeper depths on every free dive, or pushing herself on morning runs, Dana exemplifies the adventurous and cheerful attitude we should all have at The Island School. It is my pleasure to pass off Cacique to an enthusiastic and caring leader who has impressed me every day here: Congrats Dana!

This Sarah Taft is probably the friendliest, most energetic person I have ever met. She is always the first person to give a huge to those who need it, step forward to lead stretches or extend a welcoming hand to visitors. I believe that Sarah is going to make a great Cacique.

This boy is an inspiration to us all. His focus and determination make him a model student at the Island School and beyond. He brings buckets of enthusiasm to any activity while still maintaining focus on the task at hand. His commitment to any assignment, chore or exercise is a testament to his outstanding work ethic, and that is why I am confident this student will make a great cacique. I am proud to elect Daniel Dekko Goldman to the next Cacique Council.

Cole has an energetic, positive attitude that makes her an excellent leader. Her humor about life has made my experience here even more incredible. I have the great honor of being her bunk mate, Congrats to Cole on being one of this week’s new Caciques!

Charlie is friendly, outgoing, and above all hilarious. He always has a smile on his face but knows how and when to buckle down and get things done. His enthusiasm and energy are inspiration to our entire dorm every morning and the rest of the school during the day. Former dorm head extraordinaire, our first coffee house host, and a great friend, congratulations Charlie!

I have no doubt in my mind this next outstanding individual will make an excellent Cacique. Her amazing energy and spirit is contagious between anyone she is with. Whether she’s telling stories to a running group, or performing ridiculous dances at dinner contests, she never fails to cheer people up and get people motivated. The vigor she brings to every task makes any challenge seem small. She has shown us all what it means to create an “intentional community.” Congratulations to Noelle for being elected to this week’s Cacique Council.

Hannah has really stood out for her positive attitude. She is always getting involved and trying new things like free-diving. She lead the way for the girls to get hands-on and involved with the pig harvest. She is so open and welcoming to everyone in the dorm, and she always has a comforting word or two up her sleeve. Overall, whether determined to always do her very best or to get finally get Becky in gotcha, Hannah was a no-brainer in picking this week’s Caciques.

Brad has been an amazingly active leader so far here at The Island School. His positive and determined attitude has been incredibly helpful during the tougher jobs. Especially during our first deep clean when he took on jobs that he wasn’t asked to, but did them willingly and without complain, and still maintained his sense of humor through ought the entire clean.  Ever since the first day he has always had the desire to come up with ideas that grow the Island School community together. The boys barbecue and also the football league are just some of this Brad’s designs that have brought us all closer.

This student is a silent leader, but a booming force on the soccer field. He lead his team to the finals in Advisory world cup. He is always getting A’s on his research reading notes, and isn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty when we need to cut up more bait. He pulls this community together. I’m proud to announce Jack as a member of the next Cacique Council.

Sarah Haselton has shown great leadership this semester so far. She is giving, respectful, and very fun to be around. In the dorm she provides a positive attitude and is always willing to help out wherever she can. She has mastered finding a balance between having fun and being serious when necessary. She is extremely supportive during swim track, always cheering for everyone, even though she finished much earlier than the rest of us. Even when she had an absurdly large mosquito bite on her face, she was able to maintain a positive attitude and even laugh about it. I am confident that she will make a great Cacique and show her leadership skills through this coming week.

Helena is not only one of the funniest and most outgoing people I know, but also the most friendly.  Her attempts to be friends with all of the girls in the dorm are noticed by everyone.  Within the very first couple of days she had everyone’s name down pat. When coming to a new place it is usually comfortable to find one friend and stay with them, but she challenged herself to branch out and attempt to be friends with everyone.  Whether she is in the dorm starting a dance party or rolling off of the boat during scuba week, she is always making an effort to have fun and include everyone.  Because of all of that, I think she would be a great leader and Cacique.  Congratulations Helena!

Taylor has show tremendous leadership ever since our first day at The Island School.  In addition to constantly volunteering himself to do some of the harder jobs on campus, such as cleaning the boys’ dorm bathrooms or staying late at dish crew, he has shown strength and resilience during morning exercise.  He always pushes himself both mentally and physically to the limits and is never satisfied with a half-completed job.  Therefore, I nominate Taylor Fasolo to the next Cacique Council.

This fine young lad has exemplified leadership in many different aspects of Island School life. He’s a hard-worker in the classroom, a strong swimmer for swim-track, and a reliable friend for everyone. He doesn’t shy away from any extra work that needs doing, serving as a constant reminder for us all to remain altruistic and community-based. The positive attitude he constantly maintains can even make dish crew fun. I have no doubts that Ben will make a great new Cacique.

I admire Charlotte a lot. She is always around to help out, whether it’s to help me stay calm during scuba week or to always give a hand to get those girls’ tents set up during kayak. She is always working hard right up till 10:30 and up on time every morning ready for morning exercise. Charlotte takes every opportunity that is offered to live the full experience here at The Island School, from free dives to leading stretches after a run. She is one girl with a great spirit who I know will be a great Cacique with taking a role of leadership.

I would like to nominate John for his hard work, eagerness to get involved in all activities and his openness to trying new things. He has opted to get up on a Sunday and go explore, go on a dive and has always put his hand up for group activities. He is a jack-of-all-trades and I hope this will make him a good leader. For these reasons I would like to nominate John.

Each week, a group of students is selected for their unique potential as leaders to come together as the 5 student Cacique Council, “Cacique” meaning leader in ancient Lucayan. During that week, the group will plan special activities for their peers, run morning and evening circles, facilitate communication between students and faculty, and fulfill other important roles as needed. Members of the council are welcomed into the new role during Community Meeting, in which a public acknowledgement of each individual’s leadership qualities is read aloud. Enjoy these “Cacique Pass-Offs” written below. Join us in welcoming the first Cacique Council of the semester, and look forward to more student leadership updates in the coming weeks.

Hope Logan: During this morning’s Run Swim, Hope was the first to touch the flag pole. She is physically strong and an excellent athlete and swimmer, but her leadership is more than physical. During her Kayak trip she demonstrated self-awareness, which is a key to building a strong community and an aspect of the island school mission of “Creating an intentional community whose members are cognizant of their abilities, limitations, and effect on others.” I know in her coming week of leadership, she will be an excellent model of this quality for her peers. At Slippery Pete’s during the game night this last Saturday, she was an eager and energetic game-player. In fact, her energy and eagerness to engage and participate has been demonstrated throughout orientation. I have seen it in my own Advisory, and am excited to see how Hope can motivate and inspire us all in the coming week.

James Boyce: Whether this student is in the dining hall, dorm, on a boat, or at a campfire he manages to include all of those around him. He has continued to push himself to get to know more people as the semester continues. Peter Drucker once described a successful leader as: “The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say “I.” And that’s not because they have trained themselves not to say “I.” They don’t think “I.” They think “we”; they think “team.” They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don’t sidestep it, but “we” gets the credit…. This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done. “ According to his Kayak leaders, James thinks in the “we” form. His initiative and willingness to volunteer helped his kayak trip run smoothly and I am confident that he will effectively lead our community forward.

 Kaitlin Ball: From the moment Kaitlin arrived at The Island School she had demonstrated her determination and strength. Whenever I have needed help in the dorm she has been willing to step up to the task at hand. I have noticed a similar attitude when her peers need help, be it a logistical task or emotional support. She fully embraced the challenges SCUBA week and her enthusiasm became contagious to those around her. Kaitlin lives The Island School mission of Sense of Place, taking advantage of the opportunities around her and enjoying each breath underwater. I am confident Kaitlin will be a valuable member of the first Cacique Council.

Maren Roberts: Obama, Martin Luther King, Jesus, Mother Teresa… all amazing leaders, all proclaimed their “seemingly” wild ideas, but somehow, everyone listened. Whether it was charm, compassion, creativity or patience, it just worked. for this student, people do just that—they listen, they get excited. Sure, she seems a little bit wild at times, but don’t all great leaders? From leading the most entertaining post-morning exercise stretches, to embracing the role of dealer during our Riverboat Casino Night on Saturday, Maren has already shown great leadership—leadership that is marked by proactive, selfless, and consistent energy.

Nathaniel Millard: Expeditions force people to live in close quarters for extended periods of time. At the end of the day, you still have to work hard to achieve group goals. Sometimes when the group is tired, hungry and struggling, simple discussions or camp chores take on a certain volunteerism. This is called Expeditionary Behavior. This individual has a gift for putting the needs of others in line with his own. According to his peers and faculty, this person is described as grounded, patient, and polite. Being an already certified diver, he was willing to help others set-up and break down gear. In addition, this individual displayed excellent peer leadership on kayak. He was always willing to volunteer for tasks such as setting up lunch or being a part of the pod formation while on the water. He made individual sacrifices for the group without complaining. I am pleased to announce Nathaniel Millard as our next member of the Cacique Council.

Two days of drills and skills left SCUBA students yearning for the freedom that certification would bring. A small dose of this was provided during our last dive, a free descent with ample exploration time. Tunnel Rock, a coral reef teeming with exotic fish, was the backdrop for our final certification dive. Dividing the reef is a partially enclosed tunnel, which both amazed and intimidated the fledgling divers. After forty minutes of leisurely diving the groups were proud to ascend to the surface as certified divers.

The jammed packed day finished with a sense of success. From psychos to SCUBA everyone was able to sit down to a much-deserved plate of spaghetti and garlic bread with a feeling of accomplishment.

Jumping into the refreshing ocean this morning was a wake up call for JP and Sarah. Right as we hit the water, we both realized that we were swimming in the ocean while our friends back home were sitting in math class getting lectured. Everyone came back to campus from morning exercise to their chores, which range from cleaning boys/girls dorm to feeding the goats on the farm. After an ocean shower and a nutritious breakfast students had classes followed by lunch. Research classes came in the afternoon. JP made clod cards with his lionfish team, which measure the ocean currents. Sarah had a discussion with her Biodiesel research team about upcoming events. Students had around 2 hours for personal exploration time today. JP went to the marina and watched sharks swim up to the dock while Sarah sunbathed and read Omeros, an epic poem that is a big part of our lives in literature. After a month on Eleuthera, lifelong friendships have been formed, there have been only a few sunburns, and only one sting from a stingray.

Although we had a sleep-in today, it was hard to appreciate its true value considering 7:15 is an early wake-up for most throughout their summer. We began our morning activities with a class entitled “When are we?” This activity was guided by a quotation: “We are not here to learn about people from the past, we are here to learn from people with a past.” Based on this quotation, we split up into groups and became very curious audiences. Joseph, Justin, Marco, and Bernadette all spoke about their personal histories.  Through this, we were able to get a better understanding of how locals live on the island, how some arrived at the island, and the cultures that they come from. This activity made students acquire a common respect for the land and people around them.

The afternoon followed with a general tour of Cape Eleuthera. On this tour, we discovered our boundary lines (places we can and cannot go) as well as great local spots to explore. After this tour, many were extremely excited by all the natural resources around us, as well as the endless destinations to explore. This gave students a feeling of more freedom as well as responsibility.

The evening was capped off with two meetings; the first discussed the importance of safety and risk management. This meeting allowed students to understand the importance of taking care of each other as well as thinking critically in all situations.  The second meeting explained the importance of our schedule as well as how to read it. Our second full day at The Island School, like the weather we had, was mostly moments of sunshine with occasional showers of adjustment.