Parent's Weekend Special!

The much-anticipated Parent's Weekend has come and gone. It was a weekend filled with activities and adventure, a way for the parents to experience the Island School with their children and perhaps be able to see it through their eyes. There is nothing easy about taking a tiny plane and then trying to rent a car in south Eleuthera, but after all, the Island School is not about taking the easiest route. The Island School’s geography, pace of life, schedule, classes and, of course, weather are different from our sending schools, and so we needed to give Parents some first-hand experience of life at the School. The weekend included traditional Bahamian meals, attending classes, homework, dance festivals, field trips and even morning exercise at 6:30 a.m. We hope that we packed enough into these three days to show our parents what our life is like out here on our little piece of the ocean.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1999

Our parents arrived after their first authentic small island experience: a flight on a six-seater plane. They were able to rent Bahamian cars which have several special features, one of which is that they can't be later than a 1985 model year. Their accommodations were also pure Bahamian: gorgeous cottages on the white sand beaches overlooking the windward side of the Island. We would all like to thank the Cotton Bay Community for accommodating our parents in their homes. Classes were held that first day and both students and their parents attended. This allowed the parents to experience what their child was studying and gave them a feel for the class material and goals.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 29, 1999

Parents arrived on campus on Friday morning at 9:00 to observe science presentations by the students. Students were asked to present a background and summery of group science projects. Each student presented a different aspect of their project to the assembled parents. There were a total of four presentations, one for each of our research projects: Aquaculture Habitat Study, Aquaculture Lab/Station, Conch Survey, and Mangrove Survey. This was our first attempt at the presentations we will be giving on December 3rd to the Bahamian Department of Fisheries, University of Miami researchers and other educators.

In English class, the parents acted out the Tempest under their children's direction. For history class, everyone took a fieldtrip up-island and hiked through a heavily wooded "forest" to see some ruins of previous inhabitants of the island. In this exercise, the students became the teachers and the parents became students.

On Friday afternoon, parents, students, and faculty hiked (several miles) to Deal's Point to see the foundation of an old plantation sight. We took a close look at the four buildings that remain, including what may be a prison. Students and parents speculated as to what each building was, making connections to what we are presently studying in History. We believe that the site is a Loyalist Plantation, but why would there be a prison?

Before dinner every evening, we form a circle to share announcements and thoughts for the day. As the leader of the day, Stephi Falconi shared a poem she wrote with the group. Mooch and Cheryl, our loyal cooks, prepared wonderful Bahamian meals including grouper fingers, conch salad, conch fritters, lobster, meatballs, and spectacular salads. During the meals, parents and teachers were able to talk about our successes.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1999

Though they were able to sleep-in on Friday, parents were "cordially" invited to take part in morning exercise on Saturday morning - a run to High Rock, a 15 ft rock wall on the edge of the ocean. Indeed it was not an easy trek to High Rock at 6:30 in the morning, but the parents proved to be troopers. Some parents walked, others switched riding bikes with their children and some ran the whole way. Midway through the exercise, students and parents jumped off High Rock into the water. When it was all over, the parents were given an Island School Parent's Weekend

T-shirt as a type of trophy, a way of saying "Way to go Mom and Dad, you guys are great!" James Fisher recalls, "It was great to be able to show my parents not only what we were doing, but how we were doing it."

Though most of the students are now certified divers, our parents have not all had the opportunity to dive. Tony Hawgood, resident science teacher, EMT and dive instructor, offered a Discover SCUBA opportunity where parents had the chance to blow bubbles underwater. This was the first time I introduced my father and brother to something totally new and foreign to them. They taught me to ride a bike, play lacrosse, rock climb... just about everything. I loved watching them react to the underwater world and then hearing them rave about the experience; for once I was the teacher.
-Molly Pickall

Ten certified divers, both parents and students, were able to head off for a deep water dive. We went to Tunnel Rock where we saw many different types of fish and coral. There were no shark or large sea creature sightings, but the visibility was almost 100 feet. The parent divers seemed very pleased and proud of their accomplishment and thanked the dive leaders, Chris Maxey and Tim Kelly.
-Liz Besser

A short kayak trip was also offered for the parents and students. Anthony Francis, English teacher and sea kayak instructor, took a group of new and experienced kayakers around Powell Point and taught them the basic paddle stroke and how to steer the boat. It was an enjoyable afternoon and a great way for parents to see what their kids will be experiencing on the eight-day kayak expedition coming up this week. Editors note: 14 students are currently on day 4 (November 6) of their kayak expedition.
-Anthea Dexter-Cooper

After a town meeting, the parents, teachers and students got together for a good bye feast which included dinner and dancing. The entertainment was pure Bahamian and full energy. The first group to perform was a Junkanoo band, which is a traditional music celebration in Bahamian culture. The African origin of the music is evident in the percussion ensemble. Usually Junkanoo happens the day after Christmas and on New Year’s Day, but we had a special opportunity to hear a band for the parents. Parents and students danced for about two hours! After the Junkanoo band, another band continued the rhythms of the islands and we danced until almost midnight.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 31, 1999

Sunday was an open day for parents to explore the island with their children or just relax on the beach and catch up on life at the Island School and at home. Though most parents were able to attend Parent's Weekend, there were four students whose parents were unable to travel down to Eleuthera. Though we were initially upset by this, in the end we realized it was not so bad after all. "Mom" Tami Thome and "Pop" Tony Hawgood and many other teachers and families adopted us and were there to help us through the rough moments of the weekend. The four of us might have had the best time of anyone!
-Barrett Summerlin

COMMUNITY SERVICE UPDATE

Every week for community service, local sixth grade students from various schools come to the Island School. Each IslandSchool student teaches the Bahamian children about science and their surrounding environment. The first week, we went to their schools where each Island School student got aquatinted with the one or two children whom they would serve as big brother/sister and teacher. Our first project was working with them on computers. The next week, the local children came to the Island School where they went on a beach walk with their Island School guide. On this walk, they picked up different organisms such as sponges, conch, coral and seaweed. Once they came back to the school, they learned about these organisms and looked at them under a microscope for the first time. Last week, the local children came to the Island School where they learned about conservation. We talked to them about different regulations that the fisheries have made, and why they are so important to follow. We talked about fish, sea turtles, conch, shrimp, and crawfish. In the future, we will be working on science projects with the children, and on December 4th, there will be a large science fair at the Island School (the day after the Island School students present their research findings to the Bahamian Department of Fisheries as well as visiting teachers). The Bahamian students will showcase their experiments and learning to their families and peers, and there will be a cookout. Doing community service with these children has been a very rewarding experience. We are able to form a close relationship with the young children, and we learn more about their culture.