Over April vacation, five students and two staff members from Rock Point School traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico. The trip was in coordination with SURCO, a non-profit grassroots organization combining consulting, academic programs and local activism. While they were in Oaxaca, students did a homestay with local families, visited historical and cultural sites, and connected with local artists and educators.

Students and staff traveled to Nicaragua over February break. For several years we have been traveling with Compas de Nicaragua (Friends of Nicaragua), a non-profit organization that supports “Women in Action”, a group of 40 women who organize health and education projects in the impoverished settlement of La Primavera in Managua. Compas de Nicaragua also supports aa farmers co-op in La Paz, Carazo who carry out sustainable living projects. Compas organizes several service learning trips to Nicaragua each year. Their mission is to promote cultural exchange and improve lives through service learning trips and sustainable community development.

Each year, students and staff venture forth on a cultural exchange trip. This year, we are headed to the Bahamas! Over the past few years, we have built a relationship with South Andros High School and they have come to visit us, getting tours of our garden, sugar house and apiary. The photos above are from their previous visits to Rock Point. Gus traveled to South Andros last year to give a guest lecture at the school on bee keeping. This year we are sending a group to the Bahamas on February 24th to complete the exchange!

In week two of summer session, we have spent a lot of time in the garden! Kara Buchanan, our resident herbalist, helped students learn about the various herbs and plants in and around our garden. Students tried various herbs, learning about their properties and some plant biology. Students made a healing salve by mixing olive oil infused with comfrey, plantain, St. John's wort and calendula with beeswax and essential oils. The salve can be used to soothe bug bites, burns, and dry skin.

We are wrapping up our first week of Summer Session 2016 and it has been a full one! Students have spent time getting to know one another, playing, and learning together. On the first morning of Cultivations Class, students took a "fox walk" around the property. Fox walking is a mindfulness practice that helps you tune into the sounds of the woods and be present in the moment. We've also been working on our carving skills in Cultivations, making eating utensils from sumac wood.