Cape Eleuthera Foundation Prepares for Leadership in Education Conference
For almost 12 years, The Island School has been putting students and faculty to work solving real-world problems. We know providing space for small teams to work out in the field and in the community is not a new idea, but we recognize this is often when the most meaningful learning takes place. The question is: how can we shift away from the confinement of a traditional classroom curriculum and begin to celebrate creativity and work that effects positive change?
The next phase of The Island School is all about Sharing Solutions: sharing what we have learned and supporting others in their good work. On March 25th and 26th, Cape Eleuthera Foundation will welcome student delegations, school administrators, and other interested parties from around the U.S. , The Bahamas and the world for our 2011 conference on Leadership in Education. This two day conference will showcase students from elementary school to the university level who have been going to work in their communities, and will give administrators, teachers, and students an opportunity to share solutions and discuss how schools can begin to go to work. Participating delegations include New York Harbor School, Nantucket High School, Middlebury College Solar Decathlon team, grade three students from St. Andrew’s School of Nassau, and the African Leadership Academy among others. The Cape Eleuthera Foundation is especially excited to have several Island School alumni joining us as members of delegations: Brenna Hughes (S03), Sara Rodell (F02), Alex Perkins (S09), and Katie Romanov (F05). For more information or to register for the conference, please contact Melissa Buck (melissabuck@islandschool.org).
Deep Creek Middle School Throws 10 Year Anniversary Bash
The Deep Creek Middle School celebrated its 10th anniversary February 17th-20th on Eleuthera. A packed schedule of celebrations included student Presentations of Learning, the annual Black and White Ball, a road race and walk-a-thon, and a Street Fair in Deep Creek. The weekend had an outstanding turnout, with friends of DCMS coming in from all over the United States and The Bahamas. “I want to thank you all for your extraordinary support and enthusiasm for this weekend's various activities,” said Kate McAlaine, assistant principal of DCMS. “DCMS is honored to have so many fans.”
Spring 2011 Semester Off to a Great Start
On February 28th, 48 students waved goodbye to their family and friends and boarded their planes to head to Eleuthera for the25th Island School semester. With students from 19 states, 2 countries, and coming from 41 different schools, this semester represents one of the most regionally diverse groups of students to date. And while we are always thrilled to broaden The Island School family, we are pleased to welcome 13 legacy students this spring.
Over the past several months, The Island School team has traveled around the east coast and midwest for our series of winter receptions. Unfortunately due to severe weather conditions, several of the receptions had to be cancelled or rescheduled. Where weather permitted, the team was thrilled to meet prospective students and catch up with Island School alumni. The 2011 admissions season is ramping up, with the team reading hundreds of applications. For questions about Spring or Fall semester admissions, contact Pam Maxey (pammaxey@islandschool.org). For Summer Term admissions, contact Hannah Mauck (hannahmauck@islandschool.org).
The Island School Announces First Official On-Island Reunion
The Island School is pleased to announce the scheduling of its first All-Semester reunion on Eleuthera from October 7th-9th , 2011. Partnering with the Cape Eleuthera Marina, alumni students and faculty of The Island School will be able to receive a special rate ($199/night) at the marina for any of the seven days surrounding the weekend. While a schedule of events is not ready to be published, you can be sure to expect plenty of Island School traditions: jumping off High Rock, floating the cut, kayaking, SCUBA diving, and dancing to Rake ‘n Scrape tunes. We hope you’ll consider joining us for this very special weekend. Please note that all alumni under the age of 18 must be accompanied by one of their parents. Keep your eyes out for more information and an official schedule of events later this spring.
Alumni please be sure to fill out a quick survey to help us stay up to date with your educational and professional background. The survey can be found here and takes two minutes to complete.
Bahamas Waste Makes a Big Promise to DCMS and BESS Program
In 2002, Island School students pioneered a program for their research project creating biodiesel out of waste cooking oil. Since
then our on campus plant has grown to not only feed campus vehicles with biodiesel, but has become a model for The Bahamas. On February 21st, Bahamas Waste opened up its own biodiesel facility, which will convert up to one million gallons of waste cooking oil to biodiesel each year. Geoff Walton, Jack Kenworthy, and Graham Siener of Cape Systems, a for-profit subsidiary of the Cape Eleuthera Island School, served as consultants during the planning and implementation of the plant. At the ribbon cutting ceremony Peter Andrews, chairman of Bahamas Waste, handed over a check for $0.25 to Chris Maxey, Bahamas Environmental Steward Scholar Garneisha Pinder and Deep Creek Middle School student Moesha Leary. This check serves as a promise that for every gallon of biodiesel produced, Bahamas Waste will donate 25 cents toward the BESS program and scholarships at DCMS.
Congratulations and THANK YOU to Bahamas Waste!
The Island School Welcomes New Set of Fellows and First Master Teacher in Residence
Introducing the Spring 2011 teaching Fellows!
David Burnham | Originally from Connecticut, Dave comes to The Island School as a Teaching Fellow after earning his Master’s in Education from St. Lawrence University. Using his Statistics background, Dave helped develop the new Math curriculum that will be implemented this semester.
Vanessa Emery | Having grown up on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, Vanessa Emery adores the ocean and island culture. She spent the last few years living in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, where she graduated from Warren Wilson College with a degree in Environmental Studies and minors in Spanish and Biology.
Jason Harris | Jason was raised in Needham, Massachusetts and graduated from Brown University with a BA in International Relations and Urban Studies. Having led backpacking trips for college students in the White Mountains of New Hampshire as well as community service trips for high school students in the US Virgin Islands and Costa Rica, Jason is very interested in community building and experiential education.
Ellie Moore | Ellie recently earned her BA in English and Creative Writing from Middlebury College in rural Vermont. A Northern California native, she began her love of wilderness and poetry at a young age on backpacking trips with her English-teacher mother.
Peter Zdrojewski | Peter holds a BA in Environmental Studies with a minor in Religious Studies from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. While pursuing his degree, Peter continued to garner the benefits of studying abroad while in West Africa, Micronesia and the Virgin Islands.
The Island School is also pleased to welcome its first Master Teacher in Residence, Hal Wilder. Hal has been teaching mathematics at The Lawrenceville School for over 25 years and was on the original IS curriculum planning retreat in the summer of 1998. Despite his experience in a traditional mathematics department, Hal is always pushing students to apply mathematics and to realize how math can help you understand the physical world in much greater depth.