Girls pose after a morning water polo match

This has been a busy week between receiving midterm grades to saying goodbye to those who left on the first Kayak and Down Island Trip.  Thursday, Kate Parks celebrated her 17 th birthday. We played water polo in the morning, had meetings with our advisors in the afternoon to look at our grades/ comments and then ate milkshakes in the evening to honor Kate on her birthday.

Friday, during our student meeting, thanks to individuals who spoke out, we took a critical look at ourselves. It was refreshing to work together in an honest and respectful way while addressing student issues and concerns. We stopped and reminded ourselves, about our definition of community and what it is we want out of our semester together. By the end of the meeting we had completed a compliment circle, followed by a group hug and most importantly felt confident that the energy of the group was more positive and cohesive. It was the highlight of the week and also a good discussion to have had before groups left for off campus trips.

Austen and Chrissie at the costume party

Morning circle was quiet Saturday morning as all 25 girls chose to sleep in and boycott exercise. They made and hung a “Girl’s Freedom Day” flag from their balcony and stayed cozy in their beds while the rest of us sang the national anthem, stretched and left on a 5 mile run. The 8:15AM breakfast bell was successful at waking them though and they chose to come eat and join the rest of us for the day. Saturday was another day dedicated to research. The methods section of our projects was due in the morning, and we spent 3 hours in the field collecting data. Geoff’s parents were on island this weekend and his father gave us a slideshow of photographs he had taken on Eleuthera from the summer of 1973. It was cool to see how different and similar the island was then, compared to today. Afterwards we had a coffeehouse in the dining hall and then a costume party in the girl’s dorm. Everyone dressed up for an early celebration of Halloween. That night Schatz invited all of the boys to his apartment for a sleepover and the girls all slept on their deck underneath the stars.

Sunday felt great with lots of us hanging out on the Boys Dorm Beach for sun and relaxation. Geoff’s parents took some boys skim boarding out at lighthouse beach. Those of us scheduled to leave Monday for either a kayak or Down Island Trip were busy in preparation meetings and packing bags. Lots of goodbyes were had Sunday night in the dorms as some of us will not see each other for a couple of weeks during kayak trip rotations.

Kayak 1 ready for their 8 day adventure

Monday morning both trips left campus, leaving it a bit strange to only have 20 of us here. After school, some of us went to watch the sunset (early now) at sunset beach, while Chris, Tim and Geoff stayed back in the kitchen and made chocolate chip almond cookies to have for dessert. Yesterday was also an exciting day because the campus energy source went completely off the grid, meaning that ALL of our power is now being generated on campus through solar and wind. This new system is still being perfected, but and will remind us to be even more conservative with energy in the evening hours when the sun is no longer our sky.

This morning we woke up and took a long swim. We have math and science projects to focus on and are really close to finishing up Omeros. We can already tell this will be a busy week with a lot of work. Tomorrow the Down Island Trip returns for the night before they leave on their kayak adventure.

The first Down Island Trip loads in to the van

This web update was written by Geoff, Ella, Amanda and Chris F. Below are messages from them to their friends and family at home.

Geoff – Wow… this place is too much fun. Keep up the tennis Big Al. Mom and Dad: Thanks for visiting and taking the boys out for a day at the beach. DA: Can’t wait to tell you great stories. Florida guys: enjoy the beach and see you at Christmas.

Ella – Hey to my Mainers! Mommy, Dad, Oliver, Fefe, The Church Family, and my girls: I miss you all so much, but am having the time of my life here on Eleuthera. There are only a few weeks left until Parent’s Weekend. I can’t wait to see you when you come down! XOXO.

Amanda – Mom, Dad and Max: I miss you all so much, but I’m having a blast down here. I’ll see you sooner than you think! Love you lots! Tina: Happy Birthday darling! My girls (you know who you are): I love and miss you! Can’t wait to see you in December! Tafties: Ha Ha! I’m in the Bahamas! I miss you all! Keep it real for me! XOXO!

Chris F. – What up everyone at home? Hope you’re missing me like crazy. I am coming home soon – look out      your door. Peace out.

Chris, Geoff and Tim display their cookies	The girl's flag of freedom