The Island School at the Cape Eleuthera Institute is a special place that prides itself on being a self-sustaining, educational institution that attracts high school and college students, as well as research interns and visiting scientists from around the world.

Several students from the Canterbury School of Florida recently traveled to the island of Eleuthera for a mini-term. Upper School students Lexi Betters, Garrett Crawford, John Hoke, Abby Krueger and Caroline Richstein attended. The science teachers who went on the trip were Mr. Murphy and I.

While there, we had the opportunity to participate in a bone fish project conducted by students from Monmouth University in New Jersey. Our students gained valuable skills in field research, and now understand the complexities of a true scientific research project.

The school's location on the Caribbean coast is suitable for research in a variety of marine fields, but scientists primarily focus on near-shore ecology, fisheries, and climate change.

The Island School also is well-known for its work in environmental sustainability and conservation. It generates its own energy using solar panels and a wind turbine. There are plans to collect and utilize natural gas (methane) from composting trash.

The school also collects all of the fresh water used on the campus during the rainy season and stores it in underground cisterns. For fuel, the campus staff drives up and down the island, collecting used vegetable oil that will be converted into biodiesel on its property. 

Other members of the Island School staff prepare meals from the food grown in their gardens and from the animals they raise on their property; of course, some provisions must be purchased. 

In addition, the school is known for efforts in aquaponics and aquaculture, in which school members grow vegetables and raise fish in tanks that are used for both research and for sustainability studies. They have an off-shore cage that houses the cobia they raise on property; these fish are released back into the wild once they reach a mature age.

While on our trip, the students were exposed to a variety of activities, including biking, hiking, and snorkeling, in addition to curriculum enhancement. We discussed a topic at the school and then went into the field for an exploratory learning experience.  We were able to bike to a local marina to see nurse sharks before sitting on the beach to enjoy an amazing sunset. 

We walked around the ruins of an old resort that was very popular in the 1960s; only rubble and an overgrown golf course remain. We jumped off of a cliff into the Caribbean Sea, snorkeled several reefs, and kayaked into a major tidal creek filled with mangroves, needlefish, and lemon sharks.  We also had the opportunity to explore the length of the island during a half-day excursion that took us to tall cliffs that rose above the churning Atlantic Ocean, the largest banyan tree on the island, a natural ocean hole, and a bat cave during a night hike. 

Our day culminated with an authentic meal at a local restaurant that believes in sustainability practices; we all enjoyed conch salad or cracked conch, two Bahamian specialties.

We are so thankful for this amazing trip to the Island School in the Bahamas, and we hope that the experience was both enriching and educational for our students. 

At Canterbury, we strive to teach the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability.  This trip truly encompassed the beliefs we implore at our school and seek to instill in our students.