K1 prepares for an exciting day of kayaking.

Week Four

On Wednesday morning, some of us were at school doing our last dive of scuba certification, while the other half were out on our 3 day kayak trip, racing to see who could be the first to get back to school. That morning, waking up with mosquitoes buzzing in our ears, we were thankful it was the last day so we could rejoin the community back on campus. As we were stroking towards the girls dorm cut, there was an excellent welcome from our community cheering us on. Then we ended the day by circling up in dinner circle to give a big good bye to K3 and K4.

For Thursday morning circle, K3 and K4 were ready to go and the rest of us started scuba certification. We got a quick breakfast then we were off for scuba. We were really excited and happy to scuba for the first time. When we were finished diving, we were sad that most our community wasn’t there to enjoy our excitement, but we made the best of it. At dinner circle, Tom elected Sam to be the Cacique, we cheered him, we had a traditional moment of silence then we were off for dinner.

Lauren H. and Katy S. on their kayaking trip.

On Friday, half of campus was enjoying the second day of Kayak rotations where we woke up early, packed the boats, and set off to our next destination. Meanwhile, the rest of us were working hard towards getting SCUBA certified with daily classes and dives. Our day ended with either star gazing on a sandy beach or lying in bed after reading the last chapters of the dive book.

Saturday was a landmark. The three day kayak trip was over, ending with relief and a new understanding of living on our own. The divers ended with the final certification test allowing them to pass on to new levels of diving. After reuniting the campus, we ended our week with a student wide game of Island School jeopardy and the typical dance party.

On Sunday, students were given a well-deserved day to relax. We all caught up on some sleep, waking up just in time for Sunday morning brunch. Many of us scrambled to finish our environmental art projects, hauling sand, rocks, and even a few trees through campus. Others enjoyed relaxing on the beach and soaking up some sun all the way until dinner circle rolled around. Later, many headed to the library to get ready for our return to normal classes on Monday.

Jack C., Molly L., and Abram D. prepare a delicious meal.

Monday morning started off with our first ever psycho-an intense combination of running and calisthenics. After returning to school feeling well worked out and pretty tired, we ate breakfast and headed off to start classes for the first time since the kayak trips. In science class we headed to the mangroves to do some field work, showing that even a “normal” day at the island school is still unique. The rest of the day went as usual, ending with a community meeting, where the students were all excited to hear that the Marina store had finally opened. After working on our Species I.D.’s, we went to bed thinking of all of the candy we were going to eat the next day.

On Tuesday morning, we all rose bright and early once again at 6:15 just before the sunrise. We quickly had our morning circle, but not without our 20 pushups for forgetting to turn out the lights in the boys dorm (sorry girls!). We all were then off to our run and swim tracks. The swimming swam it’s longest yet, and the run track pulled off another 4 miler. Classes began after a well deserved egg breakfast, and the students were all eager to present their art projects to each other. Classes continued as normal, and we all got to continue our research projects from 2:15 to 4:15. At free time, a near miracle hit the students, the marina store finally opened! Most of the group could be found buying a soda or some candy at some point during the free time. After dinner, we presented our first Species I.D. night. Each student dressed up, sang, rapped, or danced to their group of peers in order to teach them their assigned species. This ended the night on a very positive and often hysterical note.

Shoutouts

Kelsey Muller: I want to say hi to Mom, Dad, Joe, and Libby back at home. I’m having a great time and everything is awesome! Hope things are going well and letters are always welcome, can’t wait to see you all in November!  Joe – I hope college is going well and I miss you! Sarah – I’m so sorry I haven’t gotten a chance to call you yet, next time…I promise! I miss you so much and I hope everything is fine. Katie B – I’ll keep the letters coming and I have so much stuff to show you. Tell me how Sunapee is doing and update me on P.D. Holderness – I can’t wait to see everyone but I’m in the Bahamas…so I can wait. Emily, Mands, Adam, and everyone else – keep in touch! Miss you all! Lastly but definitely not least, Dave Seamans – thank you so much for everything you helped me with! You’re the reason I’m here and I owe you so much for that!

Lara Press: Mom, dad, and everyone else (babies too): I miss you all, and I hope everything at home is going well. I can’t wait to talk everyone next week. Love you all! Alex and Julie: I miss you both like crazyy but I love the letters-keep them coming! And pick up when I call-7:30 on Wednesdays-remember! CP girls: It’s so much like pinecliffe here it’s crazy. I’m coming to visit you all when I get home so be ready! Nobles: hey everyone! I’m having an awesome time here but I miss you all-I hope school isn’t too bad. I love it here and can’t wait to see everyone in December!