Last Tuesday, November 25, our campus was practically vibrating with the excited energy that was radiating from our Semester and Deep Creek Middle School students as friends, community members, local partners, government officials, students from schools on Eleuthera, and other guests gathered in the Boat House for the Fall 2025 Research Symposium. 

This event is dedicated to listening, learning, and celebrating student curiosity. Our keynote speaker, Marcia Musgrove from The Nature Conservancy, set the tone for thoughtful conversation and community-centered action. 

Marcia is the Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Northern Caribbean Program. She works to develop and implement conservation projects across The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos Islands. We are fortunate to have a long and varied relationship with Marcia, and we are grateful for her continued support of our programs, as well as her willingness to speak to our community. 

Learning Beyond The Walls of Traditional Classrooms

Throughout the semester, Island School students worked alongside the brilliant scientists at the Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) through Semester Research Projects to solve real-world problems. 

This fall, students joined ongoing work across diverse research projects—from conch aquaculture and coral restoration to shark behavior, marine mammals, food security, renewable energy, sustainable livelihoods, and the blue economy. 

To demonstrate their learning and present their research, groups created posters to drive meaningful conversation during the Research Symposium. Their posters and presentations were reflective of their hard work, care for local ecosystems, understanding of research principles, and a clear desire to make a real impact. 

At the same time, Deep Creek Middle School students shared their learning and growth through School Without Walls, a place-based academic program that pulls them out of the classroom and tests their understanding of subjects through applied learning. Their presentations captured what happens when classrooms spill out onto coastlines, farms, and community spaces: students practiced critical thinking, honed observational skills, and returned with stories and findings that showed how experiential learning builds confidence and stewardship.

Work that connects science to community 

What made the Research Symposium special was how the two programs—Semester research and School Without Walls—were interwoven. 

While Semester students translated data into recommendations and next steps for local partners, DCMS students translated their experiences into questions, art, and proposals that reflected the needs and wonders of their local communities. 

The Research Symposium demonstrated how research and education at The Island School are not isolated exercises but part of a living partnership with the South Eleuthera community and the wider conservation world.

Our community members and guests did more than watch and listen—they asked hard questions, offered knowledge, and celebrated discoveries. Their excitement about our students’ work echoed our shared feelings of pride and inspiration at the capability and compassion of our young leaders. 

We are deeply grateful to everyone who joined us for the Research Symposium: our families and neighbors; community partners and government guests; the Cape Eleuthera Institute researchers who mentor students every day, and our keynote speaker, Marcia Musgrove, for helping connect student work to broader conservation practices. 

Above all, we want to celebrate our Semester and Deep Creek Middle School students—their curiosity, discipline, and care made this Symposium special. They reminded us that place-based learning produces important science and supports communities.

Here’s to another semester of asking important questions, listening carefully, and working together for a more resilient future!