PHYSICAL EDUCATION AT THE ISLAND SCHOOL

The Island School’s Physical Education Program is composed of the morning exercise and outdoor programs.  All students participate for a minimum of an hour, five days per week in various workouts on land and sea in order to increase their fitness, stamina, strength, and flexibility. In the second week of the semester, students decide whether they will set their sights on swimming a 4 mile ocean route or running 13.1 miles, a half marathon.  Students spend two exercises a week focusing on building endurance toward their respective goal while the other three morning workouts include a combination of running, swimming, yoga, strength training, or team sports.  In the final weeks of the semester, students participate in either the Deep Creek Half Marathon or the Super Swim. The community then focuses its combined strengths on the Monster Mash, The Island School’s version of a 5-mile triathlon that includes running, swimming, and biking.

The outdoor programs are split into two components: SCUBA training and sea kayak expeditions. By mid-term, most students have completed the basic SCUBA Diver certification that includes five open water dives on local reefs. In addition, many students achieve Advanced Open Water certification by completing several more dives including night dives, deep dives, a naturalist dive, a navigation dive, a rescue diver workshop, and take on a leadership role on the water at least once.

Students participate in both three-day and eight-day kayak trips. During the first month of school, the three-day trip focuses on basic elements of sea kayaking and “Leave No Trace” minimum impact camping. Two months into the semester, the students depart on their eight-day kayak trips - a thirty nautical mile journey around the southern coast of Eleuthera. Students continue to improve the basic skills needed to paddle and camp in this type of terrain. They also develop leadership skills and gain self-confidence as they work through this rigorous expedition that includes a forty-eight hour solo experience.

Overall, The Island School Physical Education Program pushes students to learn about their physical and mental limits both in individual and group settings. In this way, students learn more about their surroundings, their abilities, and their role in helping their peers recognize their physical potential.

SAMPLE WEEK:

DAY 1 (Monday)- Psychos. This exercise consists of a variety of running and calisthenics. Students explore the cape and work up a sweat through a series of sprints, pushups, “Island School” jumping jacks, sit ups, lunges, and end at “tennis camp” where they do a series of sprints back and forth on the court.

DAY 2 (Tuesday)- Run & Swim Tracks. Students choose to either train for a half-marathon or 4-mile “Super Swim”. The length and intensity of these exercises increase throughout the semester until peaking at the main event. A typical endurance workout would include running ~5 miles with a series of sprints or swimming ~1 mile with a series of form workshops.

DAY 3 (Wednesday)- Sleep-in morning. A few times during the semester an optional sunrise free dive is also available, depending on weather and participation.

DAY 4 (Thursday)- Run-Swims. This exercise consists of exploring the unique coastline surrounding Cape Eleuthera. A series of man-made peninsulas make a great course for cross-training through running along the coast followed by swimming across the bays. Students who lead the pack get the extra benefit of calisthenics while they wait for their peers.

DAY 5 (Friday)- Run & Swim Tracks. Students choose to either train for a half-marathon or 4-mile “Super Swim”. The length and intensity of these exercises increase throughout the semester until peaking at the main event. Another style of this workout might include “sprint” training (shorter distances with higher intensity) to increase strength as well as endurance.

DAY 6 (Saturday)- Water Polo or Yoga. These exercises are a wonderful way for students to exercise their team sports abilities or alternately to reflect on their physical health in a meditative way. Students are assigned to one exercise on a given week and then alternate to the other exercise the following week.

DAY 7 (Sunday)- Sleep in morning. Students are encouraged to maintain a healthy level of rest in preparation for the week to come.