The Island School in Eleuthera, Bahamas is a semester program offered to sophomore and junior high school students. My sister Adriana was lucky enough to be accepted and I even luckier, got to visit her. I knew it would be a cool place, based upon her descriptions during the weekly phone calls she made home, but I had no idea it would be this cool.
My first impression was, it is so beautiful. The ocean water is aqua green and different shades of blue and many of the beaches have pink sand, but I would soon discover one of the greatest things of all - that the water is not only beautiful but also very warm. Unlike the Pacific Ocean, where I spend most of my time or even the Northeastern part of the US, in the waters off Cape Cod in the summer, nothing comes close to the warm and clear waters of the Caribbean Sea.
My second impression was the local people are incredibly friendly. Though they don't seem to have much in the way of possessions, everyone seemed relaxed and content and they would stop whatever they were doing and wave at us as we drove through "the settlements", their word for little village.
After we drove about one hour we finally made it to the Island School on the southern most tip of Eleuthera. The driveway is lined with conch shells, thousands of them. The campus is on it's own peninsula with the buildings laid out around a circle. The circle is used like an outdoor assembly room to start and end everyday. It is the place everyone gathers, makes announcements, shares information. There is a strong sense of community and joy when the circle gathers. Sort of like our family meetings at home.
It didn't take long before I decided I too wanted to attend the Island School, but being too young to apply I did the next best thing and moved into the dorms for parents visiting week. I got to experience first hand what Island School life was really like. And I will tell you in one word - Awesome! It must be the most sustainable school in the world. I say this without exaggeration.
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