Tag Archives: Staff Spotlight

Island School, Staff Spotlight

Staff Spotlight: Peter Zdrojewski

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Name: Peter Zdrojewski

Where are you from?: The Paris of the Midwest, also known as Cleveland, Ohio

Where were you before this?: Teaching marine ecology to high school students in Belize

What brought you to The Island School? One of my students (who is now working here as an EP educator) in Belize told me about this place; she did a week-long EP program – from Branson in California

What is your favorite dining hall meal?: Chicken curry w/ coleslaw

Name one thing that not many people know about you: I hate ketchup

What is your favorite word?: croissant

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?: Knuckleball pitcher in the majors

What are your top three movies of all time? Field of Dreams; Bull Durham; The Natural

What songs and/or bands have you been listening to lately?: Billy Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald

Island School, Staff Spotlight

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: OLIVIA GELL

Name: Olivia Gell

Where are you from? New York

Where were you before this? I was studying at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

What brought you to The Island School? A passion for Literature and belief in the impact of experiential education. When I learned about this school I had an immediate desire to become a part of this community composed of individuals with a hunger to both inspire and be inspired by others, as well as grow, be adventurous and expand creativity.

What is your favorite dining hall meal? Soup!

Name one thing that not many people know about you: One of my biggest pet peeves is bad hugs

What is your favorite word? It is a Spanish word- we still need one to capture this moment in English: “Sobremesa”- That moment once a delicious meal shared by wonderful company is finished but the conversation is still flowing endlessly.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Editing is a somewhat similar field, but also Psychology.

What are your top three movies of all time? Caddy Shack, Good Will Hunting & The Kids Are Alright

What songs and/or bands have you been listening to lately? Nujabes, Miles Bonny, Susan Tedeschi, Maxwell– all over the spectrum, I know.

Island School, Staff Spotlight

Staff Spotlight: Mik Cooper

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Name: Mik Cooper

Where are you from? New York City

Where were you before this? Directly before arriving on Eleuthera I was in New York City but before that I was at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.

What brought you to The Island School? I was a student here in the Fall of 2007 and then returned in June of 2011 to work at CEI for the summer. After graduating from college I returned to the Cape once again to work for the Communications Department and Alumni Relations as well as serve as an Island School faculty member. It’s been great being back here and working for the organization in a professional capacity.

What is your favorite dining hall meal? Easy: french toast and bacon. Though I’m a big fan of breakfast in general.

Name one thing that not many people know about you: I’m absolutely terrified of flying but have been taking lessons to try and get over it. I used to love to fly but for whatever reason as I got older, I got increasingly more terrified. So now I’m trying to understand how planes work and through that hopefully become a less nervous flyer.

What is your favorite word? That’s tough, I’d have to say it’s a tie between “bogus” and “whacky”

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? My closet dream is to one day be a writer for SNL or any funny show like Broad City really.

What are your top three movies of all time? Almost Famous, Forrest Gump, and My Cousin Vinny
What songs and/or bands have you been listening to lately? I’ve been listening to KC & The Sunshine Band a lot lately but also MisterWives and Chance the Rapper. Random but hey.

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!

Island School, Staff Spotlight

Staff Spotlight: Flora Weeks

FloraFlora Weeks joined The Island School as a math teacher this past fall after spending a year working in Maine at Chewonki. When not teaching math, Flora can be found leading kayak trips, monitoring the campus cistern system, and grabbing meals with her advisees.

Where are you from? Seattle, Washington

Where were you before this?  Chewonki Semester School, Wiscasset, Maine

What brought you to The Island School?  The people, experiential education, and the water!

What is your favorite dining hall meal?  Grits, Poached eggs, and Mooch’s hot sauce

Name one thing that not many people know about you.  My brother (age 22) and I still get santa photos taken every year

What is your favorite word?  Blizzard (mostly for the Dairy Queen treat, and the way you can shiver as you say it)

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?  Seattle Mariners scouting and stats

What are your top three movies of all time?  The Parent Trap (Lindsay Lohan version), Bull Durham, The Bourne Identity

What songs and/or bands have you been listening to lately?  Zac Brown Band, Devil Makes Three, and Taylor Swift

FloraSanta
Flora poses for her Santa photo!

 

Island School, Staff Spotlight

Staff Spotlight: Alex Cook

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The Island School is thrilled to welcome our newest faculty member Alex Cook this spring. When not advising and leading kayak trips, Alex can be found hard at work in the bike shed teaching students how to change a flat or fix a dropped chain.

Name: Alex Cook

Where are you from? Born and raised in Lancaster, Ohio

Where were you before this? Prior to my time at the Island School I lived in Ohio. Colorado, California (Southern then Northern), Chile, and Michigan.

What brought you to Eleuthera? The Island School’s educational philosophy and the sense of community here.

What is your favorite dining hall meal? BREAKFAST BURRITOS BABY!!!!!

Name one thing that not many people know about you. I climbed the Grand Teton (13,770′) unguided on the Lower Exum Ridge route in Grand Teton National Park.

What is your favorite word? Speleothem….this is a generic term for any cave formation (eg. Stalactites and Stalagmites)

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Coffee Farmer

What are your top three movies of all time? Shawshank Redemption, Jurassic Park, and Last of the Mohicans

What songs and/or bands have you been listening to lately? Bands: Bill Monroe, Kygo, Matoma, and Trampled By Turtles

Look out for more staff spotlights throughout the semester.