Our first morning of exercise	Community meeting

We have been quite busy down here, as I am sure you can imagine. The students are settling in quite nicely to their new home in Eleuthera, taking advantage of orientation to get a feel for their surroundings. The past several days have provided everyone with the opportunity to get a little taste of what the pace of life will be for the next three months - and to get to know each other better.

From the moment the students arrived on campus, their schedules were filled with community meetings and guided explorations of the School's surrounding environment. Almost immediately, the students were able to participate in their first "Discover SCUBA" experience - just to try breathing underwater and relaxing in the ocean. There have been many opportunities to snorkel and swim. These activities helped them to become familiar with the marine environment as intimately as they had become with the campus' surrounding landscape. An introduction to the routine of 6:30 morning exercise also provided them with ample opportunity to explore the Cape during some exhilarating sunrise swims and runs.

The students were also able to get to know each other better through various icebreakers and team oriented projects. One of these was a scavenger hunt / orienteering challenge that helped them to hone their navigation skills in the process. The Island School community also celebrated its first birthday of the semester as Jimmy Patrick turned sixteen on February 5. Nothing brings a group together like one of Pam Maxey's birthday cakes decorated to perfection. The full-time class schedule started two days ago and everyone seems to be adjusting well. Home, family and friends are being missed, but new "ones" are also being created. As usual, it is an exciting time down here at the Island School, and we can't wait to keep you posted on how things progress this semester. More detailed updates to follow soon!