Sea urchin	Community Outreach!

The past week has been a rotating schedule. Whether the students are getting certified to scuba dive, learning to kayak and navigate, or go through a basic academic day, everyone has been busy and productive. As we pass our three-week mark of the fall 2001 semester everyone is starting to feel more comfortable and enjoying what is around them. Students continue to acclimate to their new home and faculty continue to challenge comforts.

Cynthia about to jump in her kayak!

Over the past few days, a group of us ventured into the familiar water of the Bahamas for a kayaking expedition. Our final destination was Rock Sound, which is where we camped the second night. Both nights we spent on beautiful, secluded beaches (with lots of bugs to keep us company). We learned some general camping skills, such as how to make a cooking fire. We kayaked through 30 feet of clear water - so clear we could still see the bottom. We also saw a lot of marine life, such as groupers, rays and sharks. We saw a large (about four feet in diameter), spotted Eagle Ray. We also witnessed a shark swimming back and forth in the water, which was an incredible experience.

Campfire during Kayak 3's trip

Before all the Kayak trips began we had our first Community Outreach experience. All 31 students were paired with local sixth graders and given the opportunity to get to know each other. This was the first of eight sessions that will go on during the semester. In our first session we did an educational scavenger hunt. This helped ease the shyness and discomfort of our first meeting. In the next seven sessions we will be creating environmental guidebooks on topics relating to the island of Eleuthera. The students will be helping the sixth graders improve their reading, writing, computer, and history skills, while learning about how to reduce our environmental impact in this beautiful place. Everyone is excited!

Taking the kids out to the beach

Alex- Mom, dad, Todd, Mike, Beth, Molly, Kalima & Cam. I love you and miss you a lot. Hey to everyone at Nobles and Belmont. Ill be home soon. Send me packages.

Charlotte- Hi Mom and Dad- I miss you guys tons and I love you. Peyton Melissa, mackie Allison you guys better write me more letters!! Hi Lilly cutie…thanks for the CD. I love you guys. Love, char p.s keep writing me mail

Arielle- Hey Mom, Dad, Paige, Brittany, Renske, Shanna, Bill, and everyone else. I miss you all tons, you should see my tan!! Write me bunches of letters and send me pictures. Love you all, Ari

Keith, Charlotte, and Jocelyn Yeah Kayakers!

Cynthia- Hello there, Cynthia here reporting live from the Island School, where it is work and fun. I've recently come from a kayak trip. It was lots of fun. It was a once in a lifetime experience that I'll never forget. So ya'll have a nice day. Here's a quote that I used for myself as a cacique: Life is a journey enjoy the ride.