Week Eight

Hey everybody, here at The Island School we are shifting into high gear as our community begins the academic, kayak, and down island rotations.   In preparation for our big events, we had extended days of classes on Thursday and Friday.  On Saturday we woke up early to take the PSATs at a local high school.

We returned to an afternoon of community building chores and received a day of rest on Sunday. Student groups K1 and K2 prepped and packed for their eight day kayak trips and down island trips while others worked on their modality art projects. Some experimented with sounds and music, while others taste-tested different types of foods for these “SENSE”ational projects. That evening we wished our very own Meredith and John A. happy birthdays and shared cake together before some of us departed. That evening was a wonderful present that we all shared.

On Monday, K3 and K4 wished good luck and good health to K1, as they shipped-off on their kayaking expedition and 48 hour solo events, and to K2, as they went to make discoveries of their own--meeting people and finding places on their down island trip. We all know that when we are all together again the bonds that we have built will become stronger as we share our experiences with one another.

Until then, it’s back in the saddle. Later Monday, K3 and K4 research groups moved forward in their studies collecting and compiling the data they will need to solve their research questions and blow away their audiences come research symposium (as if they can’t already). In math, we went out by the marina to become navigators and practice shooting sights of the sun with our sextants. The day ended with one of the most constructive Community Meetings our Island School family has had, yet.

Lilly and Frankie working hard in Aquaculture

On Tuesday, K3 and K4 went forward in their academic portion of the rotation. Wednesday was the day of the night dive. K3 and K4 packed their scuba gear and went under at about 8:00pm. We saw everything from stingrays to parrot fish to the very coral polyps we learned about the day before in science class; the dive was experiential learning at its most enthralling.

Shoutouts

John A.:  BIG shoutout to Mom, Amy, Abigail, Jesse, and Uncle OK--I have so much love for all of you; you are in my heart everyday and everything I do I do for you. To Eb and all of AFRO, I can’t wait to be back, hope you’re all doing all right--‘till then…I’ll be in The Bahamas.

Jack:  Hello EGR. This is a shoutout to my friends and family. I hope everyone is having a great semester. Hey Mom, Dad, and Nicki, I hope homecoming was fun for you. Brian, Chase, Chris, Xander, Kyle, J, Jeff, Nick, Sam, TJ, and anyone whom I may have forgotten, I hope life is good for you. I’m having an awesome experience here in The Bahamas. The work is intense, but the experience is sweet. I hope everyone has a great November. I will be back in December. Until then have a great time.