First thing this morning, we all reluctantly hopped into an
ocean cut to play our final game of Water Polo.
Despite the cold water and early morning breeze, we had a great time and
enjoyed our final team Osprey vs. Blue Crab rivalry match. We warmed up and changed before a fantastic
chocolate chip pancake breakfast! Then, we headed over to the Institute side of
the campus for a morning workshop with the Aquaponics team. Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture
and hydroponics which means that they grow and breed both animals (tilapia) and
plants in the same system. We broke into
three groups which each rotated to count fish in each size-graded tank, weigh
groups of fish, and then work on and harvest in the aqua-gardens (where
lettuce, chard, basil, etc. grow). After
that, we watched the Early Learning Center kids sing a few of their favorite
songs at the end of their school Christmas show. We all jumped straight into Dish Crew for our
final lunch which was a huge spread of pastas, Philly Cheese Steak, fruit
salad, birthday cake, and more!
Following this filling lunch, we all prepared for our final
snorkel at our beloved 4th Hole beach and reef. We all saw a bunch of our favorite fish and invertebrates
along with species that we hadn’t seen before including a peacock flounder and
a mantis shrimp. It felt great to return
to the first reef we snorkeled 2 weeks ago and feel like pros! While still at
the beach, we split back into the morning’s three groups to go see “ancient
pottery” which was actually just a ploy to get us to head down the road away
from everyone else. There, we were given
instructions in a container of GORP (our favorite Island School snack) that
basically said that we may eat as much as we could in 30 seconds. Each group interpreted this message quite
differently, as some groups were considerate of the others that were to follow,
but some just took all that they wanted.
We launched into a discussion on shared resources and thinking about
those that will come after us.
We drove the short distance back to campus to pack some more
and then have some free time to watch the sunset at the Marina, finish up our
Secret Santa gift, or just enjoy the sites around the school. The afternoon ended with evaluations for the school
and then a really moving Blue Marble ceremony where we were given a shiny, blue
marble to pass on to someone who we witness committing an act of “ocean
kindness” anytime in the future. We then
had our last supper and last Dish Crew jam session (including a minor soap
bubble fight…). This was followed by our
final flagpole meeting where we named the last Caciques for the travel day
tomorrow and reflected with our Happies and Crappies for the last time.
Onto much more high-spirited activities, we jumped right
into our Secret Santa exchange around a pseudo Christmas tree (a baby invasive
Cassarina tree) decorated with hairbands, floss, luggage tags, pop tabs, a
watch, and other inventive ornaments. We
successfully presented our homemade gifts to each other in a complete circle
(somehow we started with the perfect person to make the cycle work). We ended the night with a bonfire full of song
and dance ranging from traditional campfire songs to Jason Mraz. Standing right by the ocean with the moon
bright above as an entire group, we truly felt like a family while we ‘cinnamon-bun
hugged’ as a whole group. Bittersweet,
we headed into the dorms to get ready for our early morning departure. It will be a sad morning for all of us as we
leave the Island School, but we are so very excited to see you all tomorrow
night!
-Julia & Sarah
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