A short synopsis of the first kayak trip

Leaving on Thursday morning, March 27 with a calm wind and clear skies, Mach 3, our kayak group's name, knew that it was in for a special trip. Even Andy's constant barrage of curses and other pessimistic rejoinders seemed rather pleasant on this glorious morning. The short, five-mile paddle to the Schooner Cays was uneventful, except for Javi who somehow managed to flip his kayak. A beautiful sunset and homemade conch salad made the night extra special. The Old Man and the Sea lulled everybody to sleep, except for me because that is my passion. The next morning was met with a 4:30 wakeup because we had to kayak across the open ocean. Because our group was nearly perfect, we made it to Rollins Creek with plenty of time for a snorkel. The creek was alive with all kinds of fish.
The next day was a huge, fifteen-mile push to an area just in front of the Princess Cays. We really pushed ourselves and got to the campsite in time for another snorkel. Most of us were too tired to go on the snorkel, but the five people who did won't ever forget it. They saw a huge Green Sea turtle that was over a hundred years old, and a gorgeous reef. The next day we stood on the cliffs at Lighthouse Beach, overlooking the Windward and Leeward coasts at the same time. It was truly breathtaking. The next day and a half comprised our solo, which was challenging. Then, we took control of the trip and paddled up the Windward coast. The weather was amazing, except for the last day when we were forced onto land by gusting winds. We bonded, took care of each other, and had fun at the same time. Mach 3 is now a well-oiled machine. The trip ended, quite appropriately, with a banquet at the home of Anne and Tom Maxey, Chris' parents. It was a great experience.

Darryl teaching how to crack 'em.	More Junkanoo prep.

St. Anne's Fair

As part of our Island School experience we aim to interact with the community around us. Last Saturday, April 8, we went to a local fair in Rock Sound at St. Anne's elementary school. The fair had a happening DJ, lots of good Bahamian food, fun games, and tons of spirit. For the first part of the afternoon we walked around the town and browsed through the stores. We jumped into the Ocean Hole, which is a lagoon fed from the ocean. We then returned to St. Anne's and played with kids, pushed them on swings, played on the seesaws, and spun them on the merry-go-round. The biggest hit for The Island School was the candy store located across the street. We all went crazy at the sight of ice cream and candy. Overall, fun was had by all.

Sarah skinning the conch - Louise not amused!	Meg and Sue discussing Junkanoo.

Conch Day

On Monday, April 10, we dedicated a day to the study of the conch, a crustacean animal once plentiful in the island. As usual we woke up nice and early and stumbled out to the morning exercise circle. It felt like a typical day on the cape, but oh how we were sorely mistaken. This day, was Conch Day. Conch or Strombus Gigas (scientific name) as we've grown to call them, are a delicacy on Eleuthera and many locals rely on Conch meat as their main income and food. So we felt that it was important to know the ways of "conching." We were provided mature conch and we had our Head of Maintenance, Daryl, who conch dives in his free time, teach us how to "crack conch," and we really sunk our teeth in (joke). After we got the meat out we took it to our loving cook, Mooch, who taught us how to prepare the meat in all of the different Bahamian ways. After a full day of "cracking" and cooking, we feasted on Conch Fritters, Fried Conch, Conch Salad, and Conch Stew. Yes, it is a versatile meat that rivals Bubba's shrimp dish list in Forrest Gump. Almost, anyway. Then we retreated to bed with a full stomach of conch goodness.

UNESCO Day

On Tuesday, April 11, The Island School was privileged to host the Eluetherian conference of UNESCO. UNESCO, The United Nations Education Science and Culture Organization, is a branch of the UN that specializes in education and cultural interactions. The UNESCO team was traveling through the various islands of the Bahamas to hold a conference centering around a central theme of peace in the new millennium.
Tuesday morning woke students early from their slumber as the school began a massive operation of a campus wide clean up. After every window was gleaming and all the floors were shining, the various guests began to arrive and the festivities began. Young students from the primary schools of Deep Creek, Rock Sound, Green Castle and Wymess Bight, the members of the UNESCO team and other respected members of the Eluetherian community joined Island School students on the dining hall deck and awaited the commencement of the day's activities.
The morning's ceremony included skits from each of the primary schools on their perception of peace, a presentation by Island School students and their community service kids, introductions to the UNESCO team, and speeches from various members of the UNESCO project. Dr. Claudia Harvey, the head of the Caribbean branch of UNESCO, made an inspirational speech challenging all of us to sow the seeds of peace, and make peace a part of our lives. She then read a copy of the Manifesto 2000, a petition for peace amongst the many cultures and nations, and encouraged all of us to sign the manifesto and make peace a part of our every day lives.
At the conclusion of the skits and speeches, the members of UNESCO joined Chris Maxey in the planting of a baby Lignum Vitae tree, the national tree of the Bahamas. Following the tree planting, the group assembled in the dining hall for a viewing of a slide show put together by The Island School, portraying the cultural interactions that are taking place right here at School. After the slide show, the group enjoyed lunch together and the day's activities came to a close, leaving the message of peace deeply imprinted on everyone's mind.

The planting of the PEACE tree.	Green Castle students performing their skit.

The Wind Generator

Rather recently, and much to the chagrin of the boys that live in the boy's house/faculty office, a wind generator was added to The Island School community. Communication problems were occurring due to the fact that we, The Island School, being absolutely in the middle of nowhere, have no power between the hours of 9:00a and 2:00p several times a week. The Generator charges batteries that power the satellite phone and the radio, even when the power goes out. Another unexpected benefit of this little gadget is that it reverberates throughout the entire building, sounding very similar to a Boeing 747 awaiting clearance for take off from our very roof. By placing a prop on it that stops the blade, a group of technicians working around the clock (the glorious faculty) devised a method of turning the said 747 off at night. We here at The Island School are growing continually more high tech and concerned about renewable energy, and the wind generator is just one of many innovations being pioneered here in our small community.

Junkanoo

Junkanoo has excited us all. It kept us occupied with the culture of the Bahamas. While at Nort' Side, a local restaurant, Javier, Abby and Dan are working hard toward the due date of the Junkanoo Parade. Julian Gibson taught us all how to paste crepe paper onto cardboard and how to cut the crepe paper for our costumes . We listened attentively to what he had to say so our costumes can come out looking good. Making Junkanoo costumes was a struggle, but it seems as if Mike and Jaime had time to relax. Smiles and laughter was a part of the process. Monique, Sarah, Susan and Liz are proud of thier Junkanoo costume efforts. The culmination of our costume making will come next Saturday when we have the opportunity to march in a Junkanoo parade in Rock Sound.

Making the perfect Junkanoo costumes.	Jaime and Mike working VERY hard.