Tag Archives: Island School

Cacique Update, Uncategorized

Cacique Update: The Culmination of Research Projects

[slideshow]The following update was written by caciques Olivia and Maggie from Monday, July 25th. 

Excitement filled the air as a couple families joined our 6:30 morning circle and prepared to participate in morning exercise with the students. Grouped in buddies and truddies (three-person buddy groups), we students headed down to the Marina with fresh energy, and introduced our guests to the world of run-swims. The water was refreshing, and some students even saw some rays swimming along with us—a great way to start the day.

After breakfast, students broke off into either their research groups; or had some free time to work on assignments, snorkel with family and friends, or just chill out. Parents joined research class and got the opportunity to see exactly what their children have been doing for the past month.

The aquaculture team got to share an amazing experience with their families. They harvested cobia that was later shared in a community meal for dinner. Students and their families got involved right away to help catch the cobia from the tank. A couple of splashes and laughs later, families jumped right into filleting the cobia. With blood stains and hungry stomachs, they hurried to lunch for a delicious meal.

The sharks team shared an exciting day with parents as well. The team and their families took a boat out to Broad Creek where they experienced field research. After setting up and waiting a while, a lemon shark approached and bit the line. Parents’ excitement shined through their smiling faces when they got to take a picture with the shark.

After lunch, students participated in individual conferences with their parents and their advisors to get feedback on their entire summer term. After those conferences the students quickly prepared for their final research presentations later in the night.

Arriving at the Rock Sound Mission, the students quickly set up their posters and prepared to answer questions. Guests started arriving and immediately everyone became immersed in the amazing presentations that the research groups put together. The presentations were phenomenal and the questions were even better. After a few rotations of intense conversations, everyone gathered to have a tasty local meal including Island School born and raised pork, Bahamian mac n’cheese, fried cobia fingers, sautéed tilapia and baked treats, just to name a few of the delicious featured foods.

Apprentice Programme

Bahamian Apprentice Programme Expands at Cape Eleuthera Island School

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On the tip of Eleuthera, the Cape Eleuthera Island School is continuing to expand its Bahamian Apprentice programme. This summer, six Bahamians are joining teachers, researchers, mechanics and farmers to learn the tools of the trades. The hope is that they will take their skills and learning back to their home settlements and communities. Participants in this year’s programme are Nicoya Taylor of Deep Creek, Serrano Gibson of Wemyss Bight, Ted Hall of Rock Sound, Troy Williams, Stanchez Ferguson of Waterford, and Perry Ford of Wemyss Bight. The apprenticeships will run through the 19th of August.

This year the program has expanded to include biodiesel manufacturing, auto and boat mechanic work, permaculture (farming), educational programmes, culinary arts, and facilities maintenance. There are also research opportunities available to college students and recent college graduates offered through Cape Eleuthera Institute. Cristal Munroe, of Nassau and graduate of the University of New Brunswick, and Tika Penn, also of Nassau and currently studying Small Island Sustainability at the College of The Bahamas are the first of what stands to be a long line of scholars to go through the program.

Continuing to expand the program will be made possible, in large part, because of the generous support through donations and sponsorships made by local people and businesses. “What will allow this programme to continue reaching more young people is community support,” said Kalin Griffin, human resources director.

The aim of the programme is to teach students skills they can use in the real world, skills that supplement what they are learning in school. “They are learning to solve real world issues in the areas of renewable energy, sustainable development, environmental conservation, and food security. The transferrable skills and knowledge that they gain through this apprenticeship is incredible. I hope that more young persons will apply for these apprenticeships,” added Griffin. The Cape Eleuthera Island School and Cape Eleuthera Institute provide an ideal setting for a wide variety of apprenticeship opportunities because of the facilities and type of work that goes on there.

To learn more about the apprenticeship programme, or what you can do to support it, please contact the Cape Eleuthera Island School at 242.334.8551, or visit their website at http://ceibahamas.org/local-students.aspx.

Uncategorized

Godspeed K1!

[slideshow]Kayak and Down Island Trip rotations are in full-swing this week at The Island School. On Monday morning the first group of kayakers left Cow Pointe on their three-day paddling excursion, while the rest of the summer term students piled into two vans to head down island. Each group will be out until Wednesday and on Thursday they’ll swap paddles for vans and vice-versa.

 

Apprentice Programme

Welcoming Nicoya!

Nikoya Taylor working in the kitchen

Nicoya Taylor, who is currently at Episcopal High School in VA and is a DCMS alum,  joins The Island School community as an apprentice, working to help ‘The Ladies’ in the kitchen. She shares her initial impressions below:

My first week working in the kitchen has definitely been a great experience. I’ve learned to appreciate so much by working with Sheryl, Tiffany, Mrs. Becca, and Ms. Mooch, such as the hard work the kitchen staff at my school put in during a regular school week. Although it may seem easy making dinner for an enormous number of staff and students everyday, isn’t as easy as many may think. I’ve learned so much from each of these intelligent ladies and I hope that this experience continues to be amazing throughout the remaining seven weeks.

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Cacique Update: June 30

Beep…beep…. beep goes the alarm. Turning over in their beds, reluctant Island School students dread the coming event; the infamous psycho. Sleepwalking towards the flagpole, exhausted students smell the aroma of the psycho in the air. Soon after John Schatz began the most intense and trying work out thus far. The psycho incorporated running with various exercises intermitted with psychotic wails of pain. By the end of the work out every student was gasping for air, as we sprinted towards the finish line.

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.

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William and Brittany Trubridge Visit Campus

The Island School was honored to welcome William and Brittany Trubridge to Cape Eleuthera. William is the current world record holder for unassisted freedive to 100 meters or 328 feet. He and his wife Brittany, who is an accomplished yoga instructor, spent three days sharing their skill and passion with our larger community. Students and faculty were able to receive instruction in how to maximize their breathing and flexibility and participate on several freediving expeditions to nearby reefs. In the evening William gave a presentation with some background on his journey to become the best in the world.

The audience watched with amazement as he shared a video of his record dive, on a single breath using only his hands and feet (no fins) he went down into Dean’s Blue Hole. The deepest of all the subterranean caverns across the Bahama Banks, Dean’s Blue Hole is located on Long Island in the Southern Bahamas, 200 miles south of Eleuthera. His dive took a total of four minutes and eight seconds and the audience erupted in applause as he successfully showed the judges the tab that he carried back up from the darkness. Continue reading →

Alumni, Cape Eleuthera Institute, News, research, Uncategorized

Fish Silage: Turning Fish into Fertilizer

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Island School students, Aldis, Brett, and Sara are doing a human ecology project that utilizes the cobia harvesting waste into livestock feed and fertilizer, trying to further close the loop in our sustainable model here at CEI/IS.  The fish silage will be used to feed the pigs and tilapia, as well as a fertilizer at the farm. Continue reading →

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Duck and Cover!

Not wanting to be overshadowed by the goats and gobies, The Island School’s resident ducks have added a dozen new faces to the farm this morning. The ducklings are enjoying their new home between the badelynge of females and the flock of chickens. At the moment of writing an ugly duckling has not been discovered in the brood.

Did anyone else learn a new word from this post?