This summer, senior Addison Black and senior Grady Houston, attended The Island School – a program located in Eleuthera, The Bahamas, which is dedicated to hands-on learning, self-discovery, and sustainable living.

For six weeks, Black and Houston immersed themselves in a unique blend of academics, adventure, and personal growth. Within the first week, both students became scuba certified – a skill that would play a major role in the rest of their experience. “One of our classes was sustainable systems where we learned about the systems on campus,” Black said. “We did a lot of scuba diving, dissected a lionfish, logged data, and even camped along the beach while traveling across the island.”

The most challenging, and memorable, experience for both was the 42-hour solo, a defining tradition of The Island School. Students are placed alone on the beach, without a watch, flashlight, or phone, and asked to reflect in silence. “I was one of the first to go,” Houston recalled. “They gave me a bag of food, and I hung it from a tree so nothing would get to it. All of a sudden in the middle of the night, bugs got to all my food.”

Black described her solo as a much better experience, “It really showed me that I could do it on my own.”

Life at the school wasn’t just about survival or studies, it was about building community. Students lived in dorm- style living such as the Treehouse, for the girls, and Beach House, for the boys. They all gathered in “the Circle” for group activities. Black and Houston both said, “The best part was the time we got off during the day to hang out with our friends and explore the island”. 

The program also offered cultural immersion. Students joined Bahamian Independence Day celebrations, sampling food, visiting local islands, and talking with community members. “It was really cool because the people on other islands really wanted to hear from us and what we had to say about our own lives,” Houston said. “They also told us about the Bahamas and their culture.”

The final week brought the infamous “Monster Run,” a six-mile endurance test combining swimming and running. Despite the challenges, both Black and Houston say the experience was worth it. “The first week was the hardest to adjust,” Houston said, “But it was only up from there.”

From learning about marine life to creating life long friendships, The Island School left a mark on the two students that they’ll carry far beyond the Bahamas. As Black put it, “It was about pushing yourself, but also about realizing you’re capable of more than you think.”