voyage, we had no choice but to sail through a hurricane. For each watch, we would pull on our still-damp foul weather gear, clip our safety harnesses onto various parts of the ship to avoid being washed overboard, and put what we had learned in classrooms to use in real life. We navigated, researched, and managed ship life lurching up, down, back, and forth in tumultuous seas. I have never been so sick, and wrote in my journal that if land had been even a few miles away, I would have tried to swim to shore. Days later, the seas calmed, the sun appeared, and we had “Field Day” - a very cheery name for a deep-cleaning of the entire ship. My group was assigned the “fridge” - a somewhat cold walkMRS. KATE CONWAY / NEW HEAD OF SCHOOLI in compartment in the depths of the ship. As I put my weak elbow grease to work, scrubbing the walls, floors, and everything not food, I began to feel my strength return. From the literal bottom, we worked our way out into the sunlight, where we had a celebration of fair weather on our sparkling ship. We had weathered the storm through hard work, dedication, and caring for one another, and come out the other side more skilled, confident, and a stronger team. I firmly believe that Island School and Kaua‘i as a whole From the moment I discovered Island School, I knew I will weather this pandemic as well, coming together to find wanted to be a part of “Educating the mind, inspiring strength through connection and action. the heart. Preparing Kaua‘i’s youth to lead lives of significance.” Becoming a Voyager resonates deeply For any school at any time, the arrival of a new Head is a with my educational philosophy, in which we are all on a great opportunity to review, reflect, and determine the journey of engagement, inquiry, action, connection, and next stage of the voyage. This is even more important at a reflection in a community of learning that includes realtime when the entire world is realizing that we may need to world connections, meaningful relationships, sustainable reevaluate our lives and systems on all levels from personal structures, and opportunities for joy. I see this in action at to global. We are perfectly poised to review our strengths Island School-working as a cohesive team, upholding the and goals, renew our commitment to the direction of values of Mālama and Kuleana as we chart our course and our voyage, and work together to balance tradition and navigate our growth into unique individuals who make up a innovation for excellence in education. So many traditions strong Island School ‘ohana. and initiatives are key to the Island School experience, and we can build upon these strengths. I look forward to This spring has brought world events with an impact meeting each and every person in the Island School ‘ohana, only imagined in works of fiction and film. We will have and listening to your thoughts about Island School. some choppy waters to navigate as both a local and global community, and because of this, opportunities to find our greatest strengths and reaffirm our sense of community and My family and I are thrilled to join Island School and make a life together on Kaua‘i. When I visited in March, I felt commitment to action. I am sure that our school’s focus on an immediate connection and look forward to further nurturing awareness, civic responsibility and connection, developing relationships with everyone and becoming a part creativity, and curiosity will allow us to grow stronger of the ‘ohana. through these challenges.
ALOHA ISLAND SCHOOL ‘OHANA,
In college, I spent a semester studying oceanographic research, nautical science, and maritime studies, including six weeks on a 125’ schooner, four of which were entirely at sea before reaching our first port. Three days into our
4 Voyager
Sincerely,
