At WHS, a normal school doesn’t generally involve kayaking, half-marathons, or lemon sharks. However, junior Megan Osborn spent the first half of this school year at the Island School, in Cape Eleuthra, the Bahamas. Here, she writes about her experiences overseas…

There were 47 students and about 20 faculty members at the Island School. We lived, ate, studied, and explored on a campus that depended on solar and wind power for energy, rain collection for water, and bio-diesel for transportation.

Living on a sustainable campus that strives to be zero waste is sometimes a challenge, but it taught me so much about conservation and living well. I truly felt at “home” there and deeply connected to the people and island.

We cycled through three weeks split into an academic week on campus, a three day “Down Island Trip” and an eight-day kayak expedition.

During the academic rotation I did a lot of work for my human ecology class. We were in a unit that focuses on the importance and productivity of composting. I learned that microorganisms generate heat as they decompose the pile and eat the solid matter.

An example of the Island School’s hands-on experience was the temperature test, which was literally “hands-on”. We dug a couple inches into the pile, and then we stuck our hand in. The pile was extremely hot in the middle. This means that the pile is actively breaking down the compost and making it into nutrient-rich soil.

My favorite part of the eight-day kayak trip was the 48-hour solo, in which we were completely alone and isolated. It was such a rewarding and relaxing experience.

One of the big components of our time at the Island School was research. I was in the lemon shark research group. The group studies and fishes for lemon sharks in multiple creeks in Cape Eleuthera. This entails looking at professional scientific readings for homework, setting and baiting hooks, reading DNA tests on captured sharks, doing data write ups, and holding lemon sharks.

Lemon shark research is important at the Island School because we are able to help the Cape Eleuthera Institute, who we share a campus with, gather data and protect the lemon shark population. I really enjoyed learning about lemon sharks eating habits, migration patterns, and maturing rates.

In the beginning of December, we had a research symposium, in which we presented our research findings and overview to our parents as well as government officials of the Bahamas. I was excited to present research that I was proud of and that would effect life on this island even after I depart. There were six students in my research group and two Cape Eleuthera Institute faculty advisors; we worked hard throughout the semester on our project.

My favorite part of my whole semester was my home-stay. I stayed in a settlement called Waterford with the Leary family and my buddy Moesha. My buddy is from the Deep Creek settlement’s private school, Deep Creek Middle School. We ate traditional Bahamian food, like conch fritters, peas and rice, coleslaw, and grouper, and I loved being immersed in the community. This experience helped me to gain a sense what life is really like on the island.

Morning exercise was another big component of my time at the Island School. We had the choice of either running a half-marathon, 13.5 miles, or swimming a four-mile “Super Swim” at the end of November. I decided to train for the half-marathon.

The entire faculty and student body participates in morning exercise, and my running got a lot stronger and faster. I felt ready and confident for the long run.

We did other workouts such as yoga, team sports, “run-swims”, and free-diving. It was amazing to start the day by running past the beautiful beaches at 6:30 am and cheering each other on. We began each morning by singing the Bahamian National Anthem before we worked out. I felt really connected to the island that I was living on and the people and community that I was a part of.