Home Sweet Home

Welcome Home!

As we wake up to our first day back in the United States, we would like to begin our blog with a poem that was read to us while we were at the Island School. It serves as a reminder to seize the day, to appreciate everything we are given, and to cherish each moment.

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day.

What would you do?

Draw out every cent, of course.

Each of us has such a bank.

Its name is TIME.

Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours.

There is no going back.

There is no drawing against the "tomorrow". You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success.

The clock is running.
Make the most of today.

-Marc Levy
As we read this poem, we are reminded of the amazing opportunities that were provided to us while in Eleuthera. Although we faced some difficulties such as navy showers, lack of wi-fi, and early wake-up calls, we realize that these inconveniences are minuscule when compared to the big picture of our experience. We were able to go on once in a lifetime adventures including swimming with sharks, scuba diving, jumping into blue holes, and many others.

As we return to Cleveland and begin adjusting into our daily schedules again, we are astounded at just how different are lives are here than they were while we were in Eleuthera. For example, taking a 10 minute shower seems like the most amazing luxury, looking down at your wrist to see the time has become habit, and flushing the toilet seems very unnecessary- although our families have been quick to tell us otherwise.

We would like to thank everybody who made this trip possible, especially our teachers, Mr. Daly and Ms. Post. Throughout this intensive, our class became something of a family with Mr. Daly and Ms. Post being our parents. They provided us with support and encouragement during our time at the Island School and we are certain that that relationship with be maintained into the coming months. Thank you so much to everybody who influenced us throughout our adventure at the Island School – we learned unforgettable lessons about the ocean and its mysteries, about living in a sustainable way, and, most importantly, about making the most of each day and each opportunity that we are given.

-Emily & Chapin

Heading Home

We rolled out of bed earlier than usual this morning at 4:45 feeling bittersweet. While everyone is excited to reunite with family and friends, we are sad to say goodbye to what we have called home for the past two weeks. Before we talk about our day of traveling we would like to remember some of our favorite moments in Eleuthera. While doing our daily "happys and crappies" last night, a few memories stood out to us. One of the most amazing things that we witnessed on the trip was a meteorite shooting through the sky, a rare occurrence in Eleuthera. Another highlight was a trip to a blue hole during our "down island trip." Most of us took a 25ft plunge into the mysterious dark blue water. To finish our trip, we traveled north to lighthouse beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world in an isolated area of cape Eleuthera. We hiked for 50 minutes and we were then surrounded by pink sand, bright blue water and huge cliffs. While we are unhappy to leave the beauty and warmth of Eleuthera, we will always remember the amazing experiences during the trip.

Back to our day of traveling: we finished our packing and made a final sweep around the dorms before eating a quick breakfast of cereal and yogurt. We packed into the vans and began our journey home.

As we drove to Rock sound airport we watched the beautiful sunrise for the last time. When we arrived to the airport we said our goodbyes to our amazing leaders Liz, Pat, and Stan. We walked through the minimal amount of security and boarded our 20 minute flight to Nassau.

As we landed we noticed a not so lucky Bahamas air flight tipped on its side at the edge of the runway. Luckily for us, we landed safely and made our way to the international terminal. With 5 hours to kill, everyone explored the terminal filling their stomachs with Dunkin Donuts, pizza, and conch salad for Max. After buying some last minute souvenirs for our families and friends, we boarded the two hour flight to Atlanta. Many of us spent this flight sleeping, watching movies, or reading.

When we arrived in Atlanta we all took advantage of the American food industry as we ate Freshens crepes and Five Guys burgers. Finally we boarded our last flight to Cleveland, excited to see everyone but sad to leave the Island School.

-Susie & Josh

The Last Eleutheran Day

The morning was bittersweet as we woke up to our last day in Eleuthera to one of the most beautiful sunrises that we have had during our stay at the Island School. We decided as a class that yoga would be the best way to start our morning exercise as we wanted to spend our last day feeling refreshed and energized.

After yoga, we were greeted by a delicious breakfast prepared by Mooch that consisted of eggs, corned beef hash, and English muffins. We then prepared ourselves for our Fish ID Extravaganza where we went back to the first reef we snorkeled, Fourth Hole, and had a friendly competition to see which pair could identify the most fishes and invertebrate species. We biked to Fourth Hole and then spent about an hour and a half snorkeling the reef. This snorkel was monumental for many of us as we realized the amount of knowledge that we have gained over the past two weeks – many of us were able to identify at least 50 species of fishes and invertebrates!

A scrawled cowfish!

Following our snorkel, we returned to campus to eat lunch and then observe and assist on a shark dissection. The shark that we dissected was a Big-Eyed 6 Gill; this type of shark lives at about 600 meters in the ocean. We began by cutting the fish open and examining its liver which consists of about 1/3 of the shark’s body weight. We also got to examine the contents of the shark’s stomach which contained a Yellow Stingray and a Bonita Fish. During the dissection, numerous students got to assist by cutting various parts of the shark and taking samples of muscle tissues. It was amazing to see the intricacy of the shark’s body and how its anatomy has adapted to its deep-water environment.

After our shark experience, we had a meeting with Chris Maxey who is the founder of the Island School and also led our run-swim. He gave us insight into his reasoning for starting the Island School and what his goal is for the school and the students. Following our conversation with Chris Maxey, we began our Deep Clean where we packed up all our belongings and extensively cleaned our dorms.

Our final dinner circle consisted of sharing our best moments throughout our trip which led to many realizations of the great times we have had during the past two weeks. We then entered our final dish crew, which involved tons of singing and dancing, and then proceeded to have an amazing dinner of Salisbury steak and potatoes. We then went back to the dorms to present our secret Santa gifts, which spread the holiday cheer. It was fun to see the creativity in each handmade gift and was a kind reminder of the true friendships that have formed throughout this trip.

Next we went down to the beach to have our last campfire; we all sat in a circle and sang campfire songs while roasting marshmallows. It was great to have one final moment together to reflect on our incredible experience at the Island School. As a last moment on our trip, we all piled into the Pres Room to watch a video put together by Ms. Post that included many fantastic pictures of our journey on Eleuthera.

We would like to thank the amazing teachers and staff that taught us so much during these few weeks, and we will never forget the fantastic place that is the Island School and the breathtaking island of Eleuthera. See you tomorrow!

Evan and Emily

The Most Beautiful Beach

Hello again everybody! Today was a very eventful day for us at the Island School. In the morning, we woke up bright and early with a short cycle to High Rock, with the name being somewhat deceiving because it was only about 10 feet to the water. Despite its name, we began to jump, one by one, into the water below us. While it was very cold in the air, the water was surprisingly warm, and some of the warmest we had been in yet.

Everyone was hoping for a great breakfast on the ride back, preferably French Toast, and luckily enough we were treated to exactly that, as well as some bacon. After breakfast we began to pack for our trip to the world-famous Lighthouse Beach, which was about 35 minutes away from the school. When we got there, everyone was excited to see the beautiful beach, but there was one obstacle in our way. That was the “30 minute walk”(closer to 50) that stood between us and the beach. Eventually we found our way to one of the most spectacular sights we had seen throughout the whole trip at Lighthouse Bay/Beach. There was pink sand and rocky cliffs overlooking clear skies and blue water, and all of us were left awestruck.

We were really allowed to do anything we wanted at the beach, which included laying on our towels, reading, and even games of beach soccer and football were organized with almost everyone getting involved, which was a lot of people’s favorite part. After some time we were brought back in for a “solo,” where we were given 30 minutes of alone time on the beach to get lost in our thoughts, though many people decided to use it as nap-time. During the solo, we were each given the task of finding one object in our given area that could represent something we had learned in the past 2 weeks. Many people picked up pieces of trash from their area to demonstrate their newfound understanding of sustainability and our effect on the earth. Soon after this discussion, it was time to pack up and head back to the vans, with everybody tired from the day’s activities.

Almost as soon as we got back and cleaned ourselves up it was time to head out to Sheryl’s Restaurant in Deep Creek, the next town over, for a meal in which many of us did not know what to expect. Fortunately, we were all treated to a meal that was easily one of the best of the trip, with a buffet of ribs, fried chicken, lionfish, and many others. We all filled up very quickly and cleaned every dish, and were soon ready to return back to the dorm. Overall, it was a very exciting day for all of us, and we are all being hit with the realization that our time here is almost over. See you very soon!

-Jessica and Ethan

Farming & Sharks, Again!

Today we started the day off with a much-needed sleep-in day. It is rare that we get the opportunity to sleep in until 7am, as opposed to our routine AMX (morning exercise). After a breakfast of muffins and cereal, we headed to the aquaponics lab and permaculture farm. Aquaponics is a combination of hydroponics and aquaculture; moreover, it is a circuit of growing plants like basil, lettuce, and mint from fish waste provided by Nile Tilapia farming. We helped them by weighing their fish to calculate their growth. 

In Permaculture with Rachel, a CEI researcher, we learned about sustainability on a farm and how the Island School maintains this practice. We helped Rachel by taking the weeds from her garden beds over to her trees to enrich the soil and to clear her garden beds. We learned that when these weeds decompose, they act as nutrient mulch. We were able to explore the farm with Rachel a little bit too.

After lunch, we went back out to the Saddle to look for the sharks with Brendan and Mackey (two shark researchers). Some of the first people in the water raced to see the shark, but those few people were the only students to get to see it at first. It returned at the end to many students’ delight!

Subsequently, we went to Brendan’s cage in the deep ocean to finish up our research from yesterday with the Cuban dogfish that we caught. We found that the shark had escaped from the cage, most likely meaning s/he survived which was the focus of Brendan’s study. The students on Brendan’s boat discussed abiotic factors in his research such as salinity, temperature, pressure, etc. that would affect the shark’s survival rate. We were amazed to learn about how little society knows about the deep ocean.

When we returned to the Island School, we all piled in vans to go challenge the locals in a game of basketball. All the students who participate in the Intramural Basketball League regularly at Hawken were very excited to get back onto the court. Though we have many athletic and talented players in our class, we were no match for the size, speed, and skill of the local Bahamian ballers. The game ended with smiles as we all got delicious Passion Fruit ice cups from a local vendor as we headed back to campus for dinner.

Post dinner, we met on the roof of the dining hall to reflect on our trip and the experiences we had while here in the Bahamas for 2 weeks. This discussion comprised of thoughts on making new friends, stepping out of your comfort zone, and experiencing things outside of the classroom and seeing our textbook broadcasted live in the ocean. We all began to realize how lucky we were to be placed in this class and cannot thank the members of the Island School staff, our teachers, Hawken, and our students for the experience.

We ended the night with stargazing, our daily quiz, and a nice, uplifting Chanukah ceremony. We look forward to making the most out of our last two days here on Eleuthera.

We look forward to seeing you. Peace out!
- Evan and Liz

Duh-nuh, Duh-nuh, Duh-nuh!

Today was the day that we all got to experience the long anticipated run-swim lead by the Island School founder, Chris Maxey. Numerous sources had warned us that this exercise would be very difficult but a large portion of the group ended up really enjoying themselves. We all felt a sense of accomplishment as we tagged the flagpole coming in from our last leg of our run-swim route. 

After a filling meal of delicious breakfast-pizza, the class was ready to split off into two groups to begin our work with the shark team. One of the teams started out by placing the long-line into the water, which would hopefully be able to catch a deep-ocean shark. The other team released a group of lemon sharks back into the ocean that had provided the shark team with some data in their research. We finished all of this work with a much needed lunch break. Once lunch was over, we were ready to get started on our next activity: snorkeling at the aquaculture cage. This seemed to be a group favorite as there were many big fish to see and there was the challenge of seeing who could dive down far enough to touch the cage.

After we had explored the cage, some of us went back to check the long-line to see if we had caught a shark. We checked the line and to our delight we had caught a mature, female Cuban Dogfish Shark. This was very exciting because this was the first shark we had seen from that depth. The group worked hard to get this shark into a cage so that Brendan, one of the shark researchers, could continue his work with studying the survivorship of rereleased sharks.

At around 4:30 we all began our daily exploration time, where we are free to explore Cape Eleuthera. Some went down to the marina to pick up a snack but a few students lucked out and got the chance to swim with 24 reef sharks. Though this might sound scary, we heard nothing but words of excitement from these students because they got to have a very rare experience.

We concluded the evening with a night wade on the beach right outside of our dorm. Though the water was quite cold, we began to see a number of nocturnal critters that helped us take our mind off of the cold water. For example, we found some fish called silver sides, which have translucent sides that they use to appear less visible to predators at night. We all had tons of fun today and we are all looking forward to the day to come!

-Tyler & Isabella

Discovery SCUBA!

Starting out the day bright and early, we headed over to the Bahama sand bars to snorkel around and check out the special sand called ooids. Even though we were all super cold we learned a lot and had an awesome time. While we were there we found sand dollars, sea biscuits, and live queen conch. After heading back on the boat we were disappointed when we thought we saw some dolphins, but the morning was spectacular enough. 

Once we were back at the school we had breakfast and then looked over our data from the conch surveys. We found that in most areas there was much less conch then the previous year. The class discussed various ways of protecting the conch including MPA’s (marine protected areas) and educating the fisherman about sustainable fishing. After this we headed over to the boathouse where we learned the basics of scuba diving before we headed out to the beach. We talked about important hand signals, do’s and don’ts, and skills. Once we understood the basics we were fitted with our gear and then packed up everything and headed over to the saddle at sunset beach.

Once we were there we broke up into groups with a certified dive instructor and began practicing safety techniques in shallow water. After we mastered this, we headed out to a small drop off of thirty feet. Here we dove around the area and saw things like squirrel fish, Nassau groupers, sting rays, spiny urchins and one group even saw a reef shark! This was one of the coolest things we have ever done and it is a memory we will never forget.

Everyone got out of the water, extremely excited about our first scuba dive. We all talked about it the entire bike ride home. Once we were there we all helped putting away the scuba gear and settled down for some much needed relaxation time. After dinner we walked over to the presentation room where we learned about Nocturnal Adaptations of Marine Organisms (aka Finding N.A.M.O). These are the various ways marine organisms change to fit their environment to protect themselves from predators and help them hunt. The reason we learned this was to prepare us for our night wade tomorrow. So with that in our minds we headed to bed excited for our next adventure waiting for us!

Olivia & Abel