Chris Maxey - Director, Cape Eleuthera Foundation, Co-Founder

Chris founded The Island School in 1998 as part of his graduate work in Marine Resource Management at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. He is the overall director of the Cape Eleuthera Foundation, responsible for overseeing the Deep Creek Middle School, the Cape Eleuthera Institute, and Cape Systems Limited. He is, of course, continuously involved in all aspects of The Island School semester. As a Master of Science and a History undergraduate, Chris continues to integrate traditional scholasticism within the experiential context of The Island School. He holds an M.A. degree in Marine Studies from the University of Miami and a B.A. degree in History from Yale University.

Pam Maxey - Co-Founder, Director of Admission

Pam is the co-founder of The Island School. While working for the Lawrenceville School Pam worked in the Admission Office and coached the varsity women's swim team. She also helped manage Hamill House, a sophomore and junior boys dormitory. Pam guides the development of The Island School with a focus on admissions and facility expansion. She works hard behind the scenes to ensure the best possible quality of life for Island School faculty and the larger community.

Ashley Anderson - Mathematics, Deep Creek Middle School

Ashley teaches math at the Deep Creek Middle School. She grew up in New England and received her B.A. in Mathematics from Bowdoin College in Maine. Prior to moving to Eleuthera, Ashley lived in San Diego running educational centers and growing accustomed to life by the ocean. She is thrilled to be back in Deep Creek as part of the South Eleuthera community.

Mary Assini - Executive Assistant to the Director, Development,

                    Alumni Relations Coordinator

Mary comes originally from Cleveland, Ohio, but had been living in Portland, Oregon before returning to Eleuthera. She graduated from Lewis and Clark College in May 2005, majoring in Economics and Art History. Mary, a former Island School student (Spring 2000), is excited to be back. She will be assisting Chris Maxey, helping out with Alumni Relations and Public Relations, working on Development, and teaching Community Outreach. Mary enjoys road biking, surfing, snowboarding, and art history. 

Chris Bateman - Head of School

Chris comes from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. He received a double major B.A. in Environmental Studies and Geography and a B.Ed in Social Studies and Art from the University of Victoria. He brings successful teaching experiences from both public and private schools and 7 years experience as a house-parent for an international boarding school. Chris oversees the well-being and growth of the students. He coordinates the daily details and most other items that arise in order to make each student’s time here as educational, safe, challenging, and fun as possible.

Hannah Berardi - Math, Research

Hannah grew up in central Maine and attended Northeastern University in Boston where she earned her B.S. in Mathematics. Hannah enriched her studies in and out of the classroom by helping charter school students prepare for calculus in a program that focused on raising the mathematical achievement of Boston's diverse cultural community.  She also took advantage of Northeastern's co-op program by working on organic farms in California and Hawaii, and by leading teens through a wilderness therapy program in Vermont.

Edd Brooks - SCUBA, Cape Eleuthera Institute, Research

Edd is originally from the south coast of the UK but has been traveling
and working all over the world for the last few years in areas as diverse as Central America, Africa, Indonesia and the Indian Ocean.   He has been a PADI diving instructor for six years and managed two of his own dive centers in France and Italy.   Before joining The Cape Eleuthera Foundation, Edd was working as a professional underwater cameraman and photographer based in Borneo, Indonesia.  Beyond diving, Edd enjoys most other ocean related sports as well as snowboarding and rock climbing.

Laura Collins - Humanities, Kayak, Community Outreach

Laura comes to The Island School after teaching English and leading wilderness trips at a boarding school in New England.  Her background in outdoor and experiential education includes education through the National Outdoor Leadership School along with extensive travel in the back country and medical training.  This summer, Laura began work on a Masters degree at the Bread Loaf School of English, and will continue her graduate work during her summer time off.  At The Island School, she teaches humanities, leads kayak trips, facilitates community outreach, and is on the medical team.

Karla Cosgriff - Director of Development

Karla is the director of development for the Cape Eleuthera Foundation. She has an extensive history with Eleuthera, spending several years of her childhood in Governor's Harbour and then returning to the island in 2000 to help launch a special education and literacy program in the public schools. Karla has worked in development for various arts and education organizations, coordinated student leadership programs, and consulted on the creation of cross-cultural curriculum materials. She graduated from American University in Washington, DC with a degree in international relations and art history and is currently pursuing an International MBA at Georgetown University. She is also the coach of The Lawrenceville School's varsity volleyball team.

Andy Danylchuk, Ph. D. - Director of CEI

Andy brings a diverse background in science and research to The Island School and Cape Eleuthera Institute. Andy has been involved in a number of studies focusing on the ecology, behavior, and management of fish and other aquatic organisms and has extensive experience designing environmental monitoring programs, examining the effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbance on aquatic systems, and assessing the effectiveness of marine protected areas for the conservation of coastal resources. Andy received his BSc (Honors) and MSc from Trent University, and his PhD from the University of Alberta. Prior to joining The Island School, he spent 3 years in the Turks and Caicos teaching marine resource management. Currently, Andy's research interests are integrated coastal management and the effects of disturbance on population dynamics and life history characteristics of fishes and marine invertebrates.

Sascha Danylchuk - Cape Eleuthera Institute, Research

Originally from Berkeley, California, Sascha is a SCUBA Instructor and a research associate for the Cape Eleuthera Institute. She has spent time in other parts of the Caribbean teaching undergraduates, and is now helping to lead research projects at The Island School. Her research experience includes work with spiny lobster, conch, bonefish, and marine protected areas. Sascha holds a B.S. in Biology from Bates College and an M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois.

Sheryl Deveaux - Dining Services

A native of Deep Creek, Eleuthera, Sheryl has been working at The Island School since its first year. Her family owns and runs Sharil's Inn and Restaurant in Deep Creek. She is able to bring local Bahamian recipes to our kitchen. Her favorite pastime is volleyball. Sharil's first daughter, Kevannah, attended Deep Creek Middle School and is graduating from high school this year while her second daughter, Keniesha, is a rambunctious but adorable toddler.

Justin Dimmel - Dean of Students, Mathematics

Justin Kelly Dimmel is the Dean of Students and the Head of The Island School Math Department.  He found his way to Eleuthera in the summer of 2005 after working for a year at the Shackleton school in Massachusetts.  He graduated summa cum laude from Hartwick College in 2002 with degrees in mathematics and philosophy.  In all of his classes, Justin wants students to experience the power of doing real mathematics, and to see for themselves that mathematics, at its core, is the study of how we know anything at all.  He loves the ocean and vows to remain on Eleuthera until he is able to swim to the mainland.

Ben Dougherty – Dean of Faculty, Science, Research, Kayak, Medical

Ben grew up on the coast of Maine where he returned to teach high science and math and lead the sea kayak program at the Hyde School in Bath. Ben received his B.S. in Natural Resource Management and Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana. His teaching experiences range from leading wilderness trips with Outward Bound and teaching English in Nepal, to more traditional classrooms in Maine. Ben’s duties at The Island School include teaching the Elements of Ecology course, advising the sponge aquaculture research group, and leading kayaking trips. Ben is excited about being involved and immersed in the local community and culture, reconnecting with scientific research beyond the classroom, and being surrounded by educators focused on place based experiential curriculums.

Michael Edwards - Art, Humanities, Admissions

A native of Nassau, Michael comes to Eleuthera to teach art at The Island School and assist with Bahamian admissions.  He received a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Masters of Science in Art and Technology from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.  He has been active in building a professional art practice and has exhibited at numerous venues in the United States, Europe, and The Bahamas.  His creative agenda of late has been preoccupied with the relationship between culture and its nature counterpart.  Along with art, Michael will lend support to the Humanities program.

Joseph Elidieu - Facilities

Originally from Haiti, Joseph is a skilled stone mason, farmer, and landscaper.  Joseph was introduced to the school as a stone mason building artisan walls from limestone rocks at the school's entrance.  His work was so beautiful and strong, we had to ask Joseph to stay and find other ways to utilize his skills.  Joseph now manages the farm near the well-field site, maintains the nursery and orchard and works with Peter Danforth on continued agricultural development.

Christi Elmore – Medical Director, Research, Kayak

Christina (Christi) is originally from northern Michigan, where she graduated from The University of Michigan with a B.S. in Environmental Anthropology. After graduation, Christi worked for the Michigan Department of Natural Resource’s Fish Division studying zooplankton and near-shore fish abundance and diversity. Her Island School duties include Medical Director, research department head, advising the patch reef research group, leading kayak trips, and managing the exercise program. Christi's medical experience includes 3 years of medical treatment at The Island School on a wide range of illnesses/incidents, Wilderness First Responder (WMA- 2005), and most recently wilderness EMT-B (WMI- 2007). She also brings the knowledge of Caribbean waters gained from her semester at the Center for Marine Resource Studies in South Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands (2001).

Eric English - Science, Research, Kayak

Having graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Outdoor Education, Eric spent many enjoyable seasons in the field working with adults and youth at risk.  He has since returned to higher education by earning a Masters degree in Education Biology from Plymouth State University. He brings public school and university teaching experience to The Island School, as well as a commitment to making science fun.

Rebecca Goodman - Dining Services

Rebecca works hard to keep the many hungry mouths at The Island School satisfied. She has been cooking for many years, and serves up a variety of Bahamian and Continental dishes.  She also is familiar with many local plants and their medicinal uses. Her grandson Malcolm occasionally accompanies her to school, where he has been known to help out in many different ways.

Christian Henry - Chief Financial Officer, Cape Eleuthera Foundation

While teaching at Lawrenceville in 1998, Christian helped pitch the Island School to sending schools. He has since served in several educator, administrative, and managerial roles at The Island School, and as Chief Financial Officer of the Cape Eleuthera Foundation since 2004. He is Treasurer of Cape Systems and administratively supports the Cape Eleuthera Institute and Deep Creek Middle School. Christian was awarded a 2003 Kinship Conservation Fellowship to study market solutions to environmental issues. He graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in Biology and, in 2006 he completed his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business.  Christian also teaches a winter study course in Entrepreneurship for college students

Camille Holder - Administration

Camille is a native South American, hailing from the 83,000 sq mile landmass of Guyana. From an early age through various camping trips, Camille gained an appreciation for the raw potential of the land and is an avid nature lover. Her pleasant personality makes her a delight to work with. She presently serves as the Administrative Office Manager. Prior to coming to the Island School Camille worked as an accountant at the Guyana National Co-operative Bank and the Guyana Post Office Corporation.

Megan Kelly - English, Spanish, Deep Creek Middle School

Megan is thrilled to be teaching English and Spanish at Deep Creek Middle School. A Boston native, she graduated from Wheaton College with a degree in Hispanic Studies. Megan is dedicated to international and experiential education and has taught English in Japan and Greece. She has also led high school and college students on semesters in the South Pacific and Central America. Megan is excited to continue exploring and learning about The Bahamas.

Brendan Kenny - Mathematics, Research

Brendan joins the The Island School faculty directly from Brooklyn (although originally from Texas) where he earned a degree in mathematics and computer science at NYU's Gallatin School. There, he specialized in computer simulation and visualization, while still making time for studying sculpture and tutoring math students. He brings his skills to the Algebra II and Precalculus classrooms and helps lead the Renewable Energy research project.

Jack Kenworthy - Cape Eleuthera Institute, Sustainable Systems Dir.

Jack is Co-Founder and Director of Cape Systems at the Cape Eleuthera Institute in The Bahamas. Prior to the launch of the Institute, Jack worked at The Island School for 3 years as a science teacher, research advisor and designer. As the director of systems, Jack's work encompasses design and installation work on renewable energy projects, biological waste treatment facilities, green building projects, biofuels development, legislation reform, aquaculture, and education for sustainability. Jack graduated from The University of Vermont (summa cum laude) in Environmental Studies. He has been awarded the George T. Kidder Award for Leadership, Scholarship, and Service and the Crow Award for excellence in systems thinking (Columbia University, 1998) as well as numerous honors from the University of Vermont. Jack is now focused on the expansion of sustainable systems development throughout The Bahamas and greater Caribbean.

Andrea Krol - Alumni Relations, Development, Community Outreach

Andrea comes originally from Oregon and attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, receiving a B.A. in Economics.  Previous to The Island School, Andrea worked as an analyst for an investment consulting firm in Portland.  This is Andrea's first year at The Island School and she will be working with Alumni Relations, Development, the Community Outreach program, and many other projects. She is very excited to work with students and the Bahamian community in this inspiring and motivational environment.

Amanda Lilleston - Research Assistant

Amanda first joined The Island School community in Fall 2000 as a student. She now rejoins us in a dual role working at The Island School and assisting the Aquaculture program at the Cape Eleuthera Institute.  While on Eleuthera, Amanda will be a student advisor, teach research, and support the many other Island School and Cape Eleuthera Institute projects.  Amanda recently graduated from Colorado College with at B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Studio Art and has earned her Wilderness EMT certification.

Ashley Mackey - Facilities

Ashley is originally from Waterford, Eleuthera.  He recently returned to Waterford after living in Nassau for 10 years.  For the past 5 years he worked in the music industry, setting up instruments and equipment for live performances.  He is using his skills in carpentry, electrical work, and plumbing to help keep The Island School running smoothly.

Kate McAlaine - Social Studies, Art, Deep Creek Middle School

Although originally from Philadelphia, Kate considers Eleuthera to be a second home.  She has spent a significant amount of time on the island over the past twelve years, watching The Island School grow.  After graduating with a B.A. from Connecticut College and a year and a half of travel through Central America, Europe, and Africa, she worked at the SEED Public Charter School in Southeast Washington, DC.  Now she is in her second year as a proud member of the Deep Creek Middle School team, where she teaches social studies and art.  She runs the After School program and has initiated a DCMS basketball team. 

Cristin McDermott - Alumni Relations Intern, Research, Kayak, Community Outreach

Cristin, a member of the Island School Spring 2002 semester, joins the Alumni Department as the alumni intern. She graduated from Georgetown University in May 2007 with a B.A. in English, and will be attending the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in August 2008. In addition to her role in the Alumni Department, she will be co-advising the Diadema research project, as well as participating in Community Outreach, kayak, and down island trips.

Tiffany McKinney - Kitchen Manager

Tiff manages the menu planning and food orders for the whole campus, preparing delicious and nutritious meals. She is a resident of Deep Creek.

Glen North - Facilities, SCUBA

Merlene Munnings - Dining Services

A native of Deep Creek, Eleuthera, Merlene has been with The Island School since its beginnings. She is mother of five children now aged 15 to 32 years old. The youngest two, Shapereka and Teandra Clark, attended Deep Creek Middle School. As part of the kitchen team, Merlene sees to it that all meals are prepared healthfully and lovingly. In her spare time, she fervently cheers on her favorite Major League team, the New York Yankees. When the Yankees aren’t playing, she cheers for the Knicks.

Colleen O'Brien - Aquaponics

Colleen is a New Hampshire native whose love and respect for the environment developed while backpacking, rock climbing, and skiing in the White Mountains. Her agricultural inclination had her volunteering on an organic farm in Ecuador, working as a farm site manager with Liberian and Cambodian immigrant farmers in the outskirts of Boston, and researching sustainable and organic farming practices worldwide. Colleen earned her B.S. in Outdoor Education from the University of NH, and an M.S. in Agriculture, Food, and the Environment from Tufts University.

Annabelle Oronti - Science, Research, SCUBA

Annabelle comes from London, England, but has spent the last few years working in the Maldives, Scotland, Newfoundland, and Andros in The Bahamas. She has a degree in Marine Biology and a Masters in Marine and Fisheries Science, her primary interest being coral reef ecology. Annabelle’s work experience has been wide ranging, from a Fisheries Observer counting fish in the North Atlantic, to sailing around the idyllic Maldives educating tourists about the seas. At The Island School, Annabelle teaches science and SCUBA diving, and works on the sponge aquaculture research project.

Jenn (Parker) Bateman - Principal, Deep Creek Middle School

Jenn is from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Education and her Masters in Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies from the University of Victoria. Jenn taught for eight years in both the private and public school districts in Victoria, most recently in an inner city elementary school developing individualized educational programs for students. She is excited to start her third year at the Middle School and can’t wait to see the new grade nine class (they were little grade sevens when she joined DCMS) takes on senior leadership roles in the community.

Joanna Paul - Assistant Principal, Deep Creek Middle School

Originally from London, Joanna moved to Southern California where she most recently worked as the principal of an environmentally themed public school. She is certified to teach at secondary level in the United States and holds a Bachelor's degree in secondary education from the University of Pennsylvania, a Masters in Education Leadership and Administration from California State University Northridge, and a Doctorate in International Education from the University of London.  She looks forward to helping The Island School and Deep Creek Middle School achieve their missions and spending most of her free time in Eleuthera on or below water.

Alex Perkins - Humanities, Kayak, Community Outreach  

Alex earned a degree in journalism from the University of Montana in 1999 before working as a newspaper reporter in northern New Hampshire.  More recently, Alex has been teaching environmental education in both Santa Cruz and Monterey in Northern California and leading 16 and 17 year olds on 40-day wilderness canoe trips through the remote regions of northern Ontario, Labrador, and Quebec during the summers.  At The Island School, Alex will teach Humanities, lead kayaking trips, and work with Community Outreach. 

Patrick Sherwin - Renewable Energy Technician, Cape Systems Limited

Patrick joined the Cape Systems team in July 2007.

Kate Siener - Science and Physical Education, Deep Creek Middle School

Kate graduated from Brown University in 2002 with a B.A. in American Civilization.  She worked for the nonprofit Boston Plan for Excellence in the Public Schools supporting the implementation of instructional programs in the Boston Public Schools.  Kate spent the last three years working at the Murphy Elementary School, first as a teacher resident and graduate student in the Boston Teacher Residency and then as a fifth grade teacher.  She holds a Masters degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts in Boston.

Graham Siener - Project Manager, Cape Systems Limited

Graham graduated from Brown University in 2002 with a Bachelor's of Science in Mechanical Engineering.  He earned his Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Brown the following year.  Since then, Graham has been working as a consultant for the Boston-based business and technology consulting firm, Arcadia Solutions.  Graham looks forward to growing the Cape Systems team and bringing sustainability to the Caribbean.

Zandy Smith - Humanities, Kayak, Community Outreach

Zandy is originally from outside of Boston and received a B.A. in English from Wesleyan University.  She spent the last year in a remote, mountainous region of Northern India teaching literature to a small group of American high school students who pursued a rigorous, place-based curriculum on the banks of the Indus River.  Zandy also taught at The High Mountain Institute and Colorado Mountain College, and spends her summers working as a wilderness instructor for NOLS.  While she usually finds herself living and teaching in mountainous environments, Zandy is excited about living near the ocean and exploring the island on long distance runs.

Eden McDowell - Land and Environmental Art

Eden teaches Environmental Art at The Island School. She grew up in Miami Beach, Florida and is an Island School alumna (Fall ’99). She recently graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Visual and Environmental Studies. In 2007, Eden worked on two large-scale site-specific art installations, one on an uninhabited island in Boston Harbor for the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, and another public art installation for the MacDowell Colony in NH. She has spent the past few years working as the First Mate on a sailboat in the Adriatic Sea, completing a NOLS semester in the Rockies, and studying architecture in Paris. Eden is excited to be back at the Island School and on Eleuthera.

Bernadette Sweeting - Administration, School Store

Bernadette is a resident of Greencastle, Eleuthera, and a DCMS parent.  She is the person many people talk to first when they call the school.  Bernadette's goal for the coming year is to learn how to swim, in between taking care of the students and teachers of The Island School and keeping them organized.

Justin Symington - Dean of Academics, Humanities, Research

Justin arrived at The Island School with a wide range of teaching experience.  Originally from Connecticut, he earned his undergraduate degree in Anthropology and Sociology from Lafayette College.  Following graduation he began work as a teacher at a junior boarding school in northeast Connecticut.  He has also taught at day schools in Reno, Nevada and, most recently, Miami, Florida.  Throughout this experience he has focused on experiential and outdoor education, leading student trips to faraway places like Guatemala and local destinations of cultural or natural value.  Justin is Dean of Academics, a humanities teacher, and a research advisor; allowing him to share with students his experiences from archaeological field school, undergraduate thesis work, and fieldwork on New Providence.

Geoff Walton - Facilities/Buildings and Grounds Manager, IT Manager

Geoff first came to The Island School in 2003 to install a SeaStation© fish cage for their offshore aquaculture project.  In 2004 he joined The Cape Eleuthera Institute full time to work with the aquaculture program.  He now manages the facilities for The Island School, the Cape Eleuthera Institute, and the Deep Creek Middle School and continues to help instruct student research projects. Geoff also works as a consultant to Cape Systems Limited in helping to promote renewable energy systems within The Bahamas. Prior to living on Eleuthera, Geoff ran his own construction company and worked as a commercial diver helping design and install offshore aquaculture cages around the world.  He grew up on Bainbridge Island, Washington and holds a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from Gonzaga University.

Remo Velardo - Science, Research

Remo comes to The Island School after teaching in New York City.  He received his Masters in Science Education from Teacher's College, Columbia University.  Prior to that, Remo worked in Panama as a Peacecorps agro-forestry volunteer.  Remo did his undergraduate studies at the University of Oregon and participated in a semester abroad program in Iceland studying geology.  Originally, Remo hails for the suburbs of New York City and will be teaching science and advising a student research group.

Marco Watson - Facilities

Marco joined the Cape Eleuthera Institute/Island School team in February 2005 during the construction of the casuarina bridge and the new timber frame.  Marco works now in all aspects of facilities, helping to expand the facility and keep systems running.  In particular, Marco has become a trained sawmill operator - having already milled several thousand board feet of lumber for the CEI construction, and is now taking on the role of process manager in the biodiesel lab.