A Message From the Head of School

Dear Prospective Students,

Each day at 6:30am, with the backdrop of the glowing colors of the rising sun as it starts to catch the dorms’ solar panels, Island School students and faculty circle together in the center of our campus to sing the Bahamian National Anthem. Starting with words that mirror our actions, “lift up your head to the rising sun,” we raise our eyes to the flag that symbolizes the course of study in which our community engages together over the course of both our semester and summer programs.

• The blue symbolizes the ocean in which students will SCUBA dive to learn more about marine ecosystems, through which they will complete scientific research alongside scientists from a world class field station, and on which they will spend over a week kayaking as they explore the remote coastline of South Eleuthera.
• The sandy beaches and terrestrial environment of The Bahamas glow through in the yellow of the flag. These are the same beaches students will use to understand the impact of tourism on the economy and culture of this island. Students will explore these same ecosystems with local farmers one week and encounter alone during their solo experience another.
• The people of The Bahamas stand proud in the flag’s black triangle. This is the community that both embraces our organization and comprises part of our Island School students and staff. These are the same people from whom students will learn not about one history of this place, but about how Eleuthera, like all places, has histories.

The communal exercise routine that happens after this morning gathering is the most tangible, but far from the most daunting, challenge Island School students encounter. Taking a semester away from high school and from home is not easy – whether it be pushing others to recognize the value of a high school semester for you or the homesickness you might feel by just imagining 100 days away from home. We have welcomed students from public and private sending schools around the world and hope you will learn more about the rigor and interdisciplinary nature of our curriculum and the supportive and transformational aspects of our community by exploring this site.

Join us as we work to inspire resilient futures.

Sincerely,

John Schatz