Once upon a time in a land far, far away…The Island School crew awoke to an early Wednesday morning. So much to do,so little time in preparation for the arrival. Who was arriving, you might ask? The parents, of course. First thing’s first, the art gallery had to be constructed of palm fronds and other “environmentally friendly” pieces of art. We spent the better part of the afternoon attempting to perfect our presentations. The sun did set that night as all of our tired heads were laid to rest. The next morning trouble was abrewin’ in girls’ dorm. The trio of miscreants decided there was no running to be done. A freedom day was called:

The doors were locked, the windows shut
Exercise for us? I think not.
Anxiously we sat through class
And when would it end? we asked.

The sound of a jet overhead we did hear
And we knew that our parents were almost here.
For a very short time we were allowed to shower.
But was there hot water? No, not at this hour.

Out on the porch we waited in a mob
As the parents arrived in cars from Friendly Bob.
Hugs were given, kisses too,
But all the kids just grabbed their food.

Everyone agreed the art gallery was grand
And to dinner we did run, parents in hand.
The next day the research presentations went spectacularly
And after all that to the ice-cream store we all ran crazily.

After dinner a celebration started that night
Junkanoo took over to everyone’s delight.
We assembled our costumes with glitter and stuff
On our faces was make-up that refused to get off.

That night in the dorm was a bustling crowd
With the siblings it was very, very, very loud.
The next morn we all had a run to High Rock
Even though some of the parents decided they would walk.

It was awesome to watch the old geezers jump off the cliff
We laughed so hard we had pains in our hips.
Whether snorkeling, kayaking, diving, or more,
That afternoon was anything but a bore.

That evening we enjoyed wonderful beef
Everyone felt bad for poor old sick Keefe.
The coffee house talent show was splendid
At the boys’ terrible voices, some were offended.

The next day we all went off with our parents
We saw the whole island and it was apparent…
That we love this island so much
And we finally realized our lives it has touched.

Kelsey with her parents

The boys get Junkanoo started

The girls dorm waits for parents to arrive

The Hones and the McDermotts

Will and his father snorkelling a reef