Emily B. and Thanksgiving treats

Wow!! It's our last week at the Island School. The days are flying by all too fast. Last Thursday was Thanksgiving and we want to thank John and Nathan, our math teachers, for making it a Thanksgiving we will never forget. While everyone at home was relaxing, eating good food, watching football or playing in the snow, we were taking our two-hour math final exam!! That's right, our math final was on Thanksgiving Day! But we had the afternoon free after the test and we made the most of our time.

Which pie should Jolanda try

In the evening, our turkey was delicious and the desserts were in abundance. The students responsible for decorating did a spectacular job and we all enjoyed warm moments at our candle lit dinner. Everyone had an opportunity to express what they were thankful for. The dinner was especially pleasing after a tough game of touch football at the Bull Dolphin and working hard in the kitchen helping our favorite cooks (Rebecca, Sheryl and Mooch).

Thanksgiving football, Bahamas style

Oh yes, we can't forget that the Southies beat North (dorm names) 63 to 28 at the football game. Yeah South! After hanging out for an hour or so after dinner, we went to the library or boys' common room (depending on what movie we wanted to watch) and made use of our late check-in time. We enjoyed sleeping in on Friday morning before our last day of research.

On Saturday morning we woke up for the big event we have all been eagerly awaiting and dreading at the same time. Twelve weeks of running, sprinting, swimming, push-ups, and "nellas" finally culminated in the traditional half-marathon. Morning Circle was scheduled for 5:45 am so it wouldn't be too hot during our run. Actually, the first part of the run was quite chilly, but the weather was welcome. By lunchtime, every student was wearing tired smile because we all conquered the full 13.2 miles! Many of the faculty members also deserve thanks for running water stations for us along the course; it was greatly appreciated not to have to run 13 miles with a full water bottle.

When we returned to campus, students rejoiced! We finally obtained our semester goal! Most of us still can't believe how far we ran and, more importantly, how far we have come. Students from The Deep Creek Middle School also walked part of the course with us. They joined us for a post race feast that awaited our exhausted bodies and hungry stomachs. The rest of the day was somewhat relaxing, as we went about making last minute changes to our research papers, due that evening.

Nella and Ross pass Sheryl's Inn

We worked frantically on our presentations all week, getting them polished for the team of dignitaries attending the Friday event. It was a pressure packed few days. In fact, we relieved some of the stress by staging a rebellion on Thursday morning. As the faculty gathered at 6:30 for morning exercise, they were alone at circle! We had locked ourselves in the dorm and refused to come out! We all enjoyed at little extra sleep as the faculty took off for morning exercise without us. As the faculty returned from morning exercise, we waited for them to come get us for chores and breakfast. But things were strangely quiet.

We finally sent down a couple of representatives to investigate. The faculty had gotten us back. They had locked themselves in the dining hall and set up a full-fledged breakfast complete with tablecloths, soft music, fresh fruit and newspapers. We tried all the doors but they were locked tight. We did notice the faculty had taken pity on us, leaving bread and water outside the front entrance of the dining hall! As we were giving up hope, someone spied John speaking out the back door. Someone yelled, "attack!" and we stormed the fort! The faculty put up mild resistance, but our force outnumbered them and soon they gave in. Order was restored and we sat down to a great breakfast, got ready for our final day of classes and prepared for the big presentations on Friday.